Lost Children
by Flameboo
Summary: Edie Adler has very little going for her and is generally an all-around loser- that is, before she becomes Team Rocket's top enemy after an ill-fated trip through Mt. Moon. Her life suddenly becomes one of intrigue, assassins, poison, and shopping sprees, but one question remains- can she go from BS to BA without getting killed?
1. This is All My Fault

**Lost Children**

**Flash-Forward: This is All My Fault**

* * *

"Dad. Daaaaaaaad. _DAAAAAAAAAAD_!"

Edie Adler's eyes shot open and she jerked up, gasping, to see a Swampert staring at her. A goofy smile crossed his face. "Gee Willikers, Dad, you're finally awake! Sleepyhead."

"Phil…?"

She sat up, her voice weak and rasping. Her head pounded; she rubbed her temples and felt at a bloody gap in her teeth. She breathed through her mouth, nose smashed and nostrils clogged with blood, and as she breathed her ribs grated. She knew that feeling— something had cracked. She rubbed at her gray eyes and examined her surroundings. A small island with a short patch of greenery. The beach grass rustled in the cold, early morning breeze.

She shivered and clutched her arms around herself. "What…what happened?"

Phil sat down next to her. "Well, I picked everybody up in the water and then I took us all to this nice island. Everybody took a nap and then I woke up and now you're awake!" He clapped his fins in delight. "It's like we're on vacation!"

"Phil, we weren't _asleep_, we all passed out. We were all going to drown. You saved us."

He beamed. "Gotta take care of my family! Especially you, Dad!"

"Phil, for the twentieth time, I'm not—"

"Oh, good, you're awake." Edie turned to see a Persian padding up to her, ears flat back against her head and fur damp. She was clearly displeased. "Well, that plan went absolutely fantastically."

Edie rose to her feet, stumbling from the soreness that shot through her. "I'm sorry." She clutched at what was left of her peroxide blond hair, pacing a swatch of sand. "We shouldn't have followed him."

"We need to get back to Pallet Town as soon as possible," the Persian suggested, before shaking her head. "God, if it wasn't for Phil, we'd all be dead. Or worse."

Edie spun around, looking around her patch of sand. Nothing but the clothes on her back. "I lost everything. No money, no phone, no meds."

"Not that we need any of that anymore."

She rubbed her eyes with her palms, sighing. "This is all my fault, Kyoshi. I'm such an idiot. We all almost died."

"_Well_…" Kyoshi rolled her eyes. "…yes. Yes we did."

Edie crouched in the sand, running a hand over her face. "What are we going to do?"

"Run. Or hide."

Edie shot a look at her. "No. I'm not hiding."

"Sure, why not! That will go well. A one-woman team versus a mafia. Great. Fantastic. We'll all be dead. Is that what you want?" Her voice softened as Edie rubbed tears from her eyes. "We got ourselves into this mess. We need to find a way out alive."

"Everything…everything is _wrong_. It shouldn't be like this. This can't happen." Edie choked out a sob. "This isn't _real_."

"We're wanted dead by the most dangerous man in the region, Kanto is about to fall to a criminal organization, we're all injured, and we're sitting on an island in the middle of the ocean." Edie looked up at Kyoshi, eyes bloodshot. "This is all very and truly real."

* * *

**Action! Adventure! Murder! Friendship! Poison! Shopping sprees! Mental disorders! Casinos! Romance! Alcohol! Drugs! Confused Swamperts! Bras used as hats! Jumping out of windows! Revenge! Fancy parties! Welcome to _Lost Children_!**

**I guarantee that this story will make you pee with emotion.**


	2. Abandonment

**Lost Children, Chapter 1**

**_Abandonment_**

**PART ONE: THE PATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS MAN**

* * *

_August, 1996_

"This is a joke." Edie Adler sunk lower in her car seat as the Pallet Town welcome sign passed by. She crossed her arms and hugged them to her thin frame, groaning in the most obnoxious way possible. "_Ughhh_."

The beaten car rolled into the Pallet Town suburbs and Edie peered out of the window to see sidewalks lined by clipped trees and a number of brick houses. The lawns were brown and shriveled by the August heat and large drought notices were tacked onto electrical posts.

She cracked the car window and let a bit of the cruel heat into the car, not that it made much of a difference— the car was old and the air-conditioning shoddy. The air felt so much heavier here; she thought that if it were Fuchsia City it somehow wouldn't matter. Homesickness clutched her heart. Fuchsia City, another relocation, another group of memories left behind.

As she sulked, Edie watched her mother drive. She clutched the steering wheel too tightly. Frida Henrikson's dark brown hair was swept back, revealing her soft face. She caught her daughter's glance in the rearview mirror and smiled. "This is going to be better than you think, I promise."

"Sure, mom, sure." Edie returned her look with matching gray eyes. Clouded clear pools— it was the only trait they shared. Edie was lean and pale, dark circles under her eyes and sharp cheekbones. Her long brown hair, pin straight, curtained her face in her current hunched state. "We're moving _again_, and it's not even to a city. It sucks."

"I know you're angry, but trust me, I would've stayed if I could. Jobs are hard to come by right now."

"It's the third time, mom." Edie sat up in her seat, staring at the back of her mother's head. "I'm sick of moving. I want to go back to Fuchsia. Can't we live in a motel or something?"

"Edie, you don't even remember us moving from Saffron. You were a baby. Besides, lots of people move twice even before your age." She paused, and then sighed. "Kanto isn't doing so well, and you know that. Team Rocket is everywhere, and Pallet Town is the safest place anyone could be."

"It's also the most boring place. Let's see what I have to look forward to: more homeschooling, no friends, and medication that I hate. Do they even have any malls here? Wow. Being sixteen is sure totally super sweet."

"Well, Pallet Town is close to lots of good colleges! Maybe you can start looking at them. Your dad got scholarships for all of his computer and engineering work."

"Mom, come on, there's no way I'm getting any money. I have the worst grades ever. I failed English last year." She paused. "This homeschool thing isn't working out. It never has. Can't I…can't I go travel around Kanto?"

Frida stiffened in her seat. "Edie, I thought we talked about this, it is absolutely not safe!"

"Mom, you think everything is unsafe."

"Well, it's true, even if you don't believe me."

"Maybe it's not _totally_ unsafe," she pressed. "Maybe some of the Kanto Defense Force is still out there!"

"Drop that subject, Edith! I'm sorry, and I know you'd like to travel sometime, but…but now is just not the time."

Edie sunk in her seat. Ever sense Fredia, some years ago, had make the mistake of mentioning the Kanto Defense Force, a vigilante group, Edie was hooked. What was even juicier was that the KDF was just as dangerous as Team Rocket and should be avoided at all costs. She was slightly obsessed.

"You said that last year," Edie grumbled. "And the year before."

She sighed heavily. "Edie, if we're being completely honest, I don't know if we're even going to stay in Pallet Town that long."

"_What_?"

"I've been looking at houses in Jhoto. It's a lot cheaper and there's almost no crime. It would be a lot better."

Her mind whirled and she sat back, wide-eyed. "Mom, is this a joke?"

"No, Edith, it's not!"

"We can't move _again_! We can't talk about moving when we're already moving!"

"Edie, there's an incredibly dangerous criminal group practically in charge of Kanto! They've taken over Saffron city, they murder people…it's just not safe to live here anymore."

"Team Rocket blocked off the Saffron train station, how can we even get out of the region?"

"We'll manage somehow." Frida paused. "I'm planning to leave in a month or two, when we finalize on a house."

Edie slumped back in her seat, eyes averting to the car window. Her temper spiked as she heard the pop of gravel under the tires and she realized the dreaded reality: they were home.

The car pulled into the driveway of one of the small brick houses. Frida put the car in park and placed her hands in her lap, looking down. "Edie, I'm sorry."

"We're moving way too much."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"I'm going to run away and join the Kanto Defense Force," Edie muttered.

Fredia gave her a skeptical look. "I'm setting the alarm tonight and not giving you the password."

"An alarm won't stop me. And you won't be able to call the police because you don't trust them."

"You won't know where to go." Fear suddenly tainted Fredia's voice. "You'll get lost!"

"Mom, geez, don't worry. It's not actually going to happen."

The two women ended their passive-aggressive stand off, and Edie sighed as they both exited the car and surveyed their new home. The house was crumbling in some spots. As Edie looked to the roof for damage, she caught something in the corner of her eye and turned to look at the upper window of her neighbor's house. There in the open window was a set of binoculars, gaze directed at her, clutched by two pudgy hands. Once she met the watcher's vision the binoculars slipped from the window.

She frowned and turned to her mother. "Was that kid...?"

"He's Professor Birch's son, Brendan. He's a little older than you- nineteen, maybe? He's a little..." she searched for a word. "_Eccentric_. His father, Professor Birch, is also a little..." again, she paused for a word. "Affectionate."

Edie smirked at her mother. "Possible date for you?"

"Drop it, Edith."

She frowned, eyes drawn to the name on her neighbor's brightly painted mailbox. _Birch_.

The Birch's door burst open to reveal a pudgy, jovial middle-aged man with brown hair and a huge smile. He spread his arms wide at the sight of the new neighbors. "Well, hello there! You two must be Fredia and Edith! Welcome to the neighborhood!"

He crushed Edie in a massive bear hug, transitioning to a warm handshake for her mother. "Brendan and I are so excited to have you two in the neighborhood. I told him to come outside and meet you two, but he must have stayed inside."

Brendan wasn't inside, in fact. He was hidden behind the door-frame of his house, eying the two women. Half of a pudgy face loomed at them. Birch spotted him and laughed, gesturing for him to come out. Brendan dragged his short frame from the door, binoculars still draped around his neck. Edie compared her white tee shirt and athletic shorts to his outfit of green velvet pants and an ironic tee shirt. _Eccentric_ was a good word.

A smile slithered across his cherubic face and he held out a hand to Edie. He had a shock of short white hair. It had to be dyed. "Brendan Birch, at your service. A pleasure to meet you."

"Edith Adler."

"Oh, I know."

She frowned, eyes focusing on the binoculars again. "I like your specs. Is that your hobby, spying on every new girl that arrives in town?"

Fredia nudged her daughter. "_Edith_."

Brendan released a high bark of laughter, putting a comforting hand on Fredia's arm. "Oh, don't worry, Miss Henrikson. She's right. It is a bit odd. It's just in my nature. I'm not sorry for it. I'm a writer. I can't help myself. I love to people watch. And eavesdrop. In fact, I love it so much that I'm leaving for a journalism function tonight."

He suddenly grabbed Edie's hand, looking up at his father with a glint in his eye and a new, childish tone. "Dad, I take Edie to pick out a Pokemon?"

"Why, that's a great idea! The new trainers start picking them out tomorrow, so you can have first dibs! If that's all right with you, Fredia."

Edie instantly forgot all of her suspicions about Brendan and glanced at her mother, eyes wide in delight. Fredia rolled her eyes, shrugging.

Brendan laughed and pulled Edie into the house. The foyer was filled the useless religious tchotchkes before it gave way to a spacious kitchen. There, sitting in the middle of the kitchen, was a Charmander sitting in a playpen. Edie scuttled up to it, poking her nose into the mesh of the playpen and waving at the Pokemon. He looked skeptical.

Edie grinned back at Brendan. "So, do I get a Charmander?"

"Sure you do. But before you do, I want to hear _all_ about my new favorite neighbor."

She frowned, suddenly noticing that he had a pen and paper in his hands. She frowned at him, realizing the trap. "Is this one of your little writing exercises again?"

"Not _necessarily_." He shrugged. "You just seem like such an...interesting...person."

"How about you tell me what you already know?"

"Oh!" He chuckled, clasping his hands together. His expression suggested that he already knew more than she preferred. "Not too much."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"It's just, well, you're so _flawed_. You have terrible grades, your deadbeat father abandoned your family, you take some kind of medication-"

She shot up from the playpen, fuming. "Leave me alone!"

"This is my house! You can't tell me to leave!"

"I still want the Charmander."

Brendan huffed, rolling his eyes at her stubborn expression. He turned on his heel, walking out the door. "Fine, fine, fine..."

Edie watched him go before turned back to the playpen, crouching down to speak with the Charmander. He blinked up at her with sad green eyes and paused from his current occupation— eating an apple.

"Sorry about all of that," she began, gesturing towards the front door. "I guess you already know that he's a weirdo."

The Charmander eyed her. "You're not much better."

"Hey!"

"Well, I guess we're all a bit weird. I'm Charles, by the way."

"Edie."

"Edith?"

"Only when my mom is angry at me."

"Where did you get Edie?"

"My dad called me Edie. It stuck around. He didn't."

He set down his apple, twiddling his claws together. "Look. Let's be frank with one another. I overheard you arguing with your mother outside. Are you being serious about running away?"

"Uh." Edie squinted her eyes at Charles. She wasn't very good with direct questions. "Yes?"

"That didn't sound like a very convincing yes."

"I want to see Kanto!" She perked up; half desperation, half whimsy. "I've always wanted to see the cities, roam around, just get away from home! My mom is _way_ to worried, though. Anxiety? She pops pills for it."

"Well, I'm stuck in an infant playpen with the twin-Birch oddballs, so I'm looking to leave." His voice went to a hush. "I'm not usually one to run into situations like this, but let's partner up. I'll go with you if you leave Pallet Town. Tonight. The new trainers come in tomorrow, and I'm not looking forward to being used as a Kleenex for snot-nosed ten year olds."

Faintly, Edie heard her mother calling her name from outside. Charles nodded at her and she picked him up from the playpen, making her way out of the house.

"Tonight?" he asked.

"Tonight."

* * *

"Goodnight, sweetie. Love you. I'm glad you have a new friend."

"Thanks, mom. Sorry about me getting angry earlier."

"Well…" Frida shrugged and half-smiled, rubbing her arms. Edie noted with some guilt that, for now, her mother looked at ease. They stood in the bare hallway of their home, a sawdust smell still lingering in the air. "I understand why you're upset. I'm trying my best."

"I know."

"The alarm's on downstairs so if you need to go downstairs just tell me. We'll unpack the rest of the stuff tomorrow morning."

Frida kissed Edie on the forehead before shuffling off into her bedroom. Edie waited for a few moments, Charles in the crook of his arm, before stalking off to her own bedroom.

She shut the door behind her and locked it, opening her closet— a backpack sat, alone, already filled with all of her clothes and necessities. She didn't own that much, yet her clothes, extra money, food, and medication filled the bag to its seams.

She turned to Charles, grinning. "Are you pumped?"

He didn't look so pumped. He looked nauseous, sitting on her bed and watching as she packed. "Your mother doesn't seem very stable."

She attempted to dodge that uncomfortable fact, occupying herself with counting money. "She'll be fine. And besides, you wanted to do this!"

"Well, yes, yes I did..."

"Right. All right, here we go." She crossed over to a wall, hand poised on the window. "The moment this window opens, we jump out. The alarm will go off, but we'll be quick enough. I'll hold you and we'll jump!"

"_What_?"

"My mom put the alarm on for downstairs and I don't know the code. So, we're taking the window. It's okay." She inched her head at an envelope on her bedside table. "I left my mom a note."

"Wait, wait, we're _jumping_ _out of the window_?"

"Don't worry, my mom made me take parkour classes and we learned all about jumping from stuff. It'll be fine." She picked up Charles. "It's just part one of our goofy adventures."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa—" He struggled in her arm. "Let's think about this for a second."

"Ready?"

"_No_-"

Edie shoved the window open and the shrill blare of the alarm echoed through the room. In one swift movement, Edie hoisted herself on the window sill and dropped from the window, muffling Charles' short shriek with her arm. She landed hard, twisting her ankle and falling back with a hiss of pain.

Charles struggled out of her arm "Are you all right!?"

"I'm fine!" She scrambled up, ignoring the pain in her ankle. "Come on, we have to run! No stopping!"

She grabbed him again and broke into a limping run, twisting between houses until she saw the trees bordering Route 1. Charles saw them too and flailed in her arm. "_Waitwaitwait_!"

"What?"

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea!"

"Are you crazy?" She stumbled to a halt, looking at him in disgust. "Once you commit, you can't quit! You planned this whole thing! You were, like, the mastermind!"

"Hey, you were the one who grabbed me and jumped out the window!"

She threw her hands out. "Well, I'm walking to the Viridian Pokémon Center and staying overnight there. You can come with me or ship off to Jhoto with my mom or just wander out into the grass and fall in a hole and die. Whatever. I don't care."

She turned and began stalking towards Route 1. Charles, watching as she traveled with a slight limp, shook his head before hurrying after her.

"Okay, okay," he panted, trying to catch up with her. "I can't let you go alone, so I'm going with you."

She waved her hands up in the air. "Oh, how generous!"

The comment ended the conversation and soon they passed the last streetlight before Route 1. Bugs chirped in the summer night as the darkness grew around them. Edie looked back over her shoulder, the alarm still blaring in the distance. She was definitely making the right decision…

...Right?

* * *

**WRONG!**

**Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Lost Children! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing- it means so much to me when you leave a review and it propels me to work hard on this story!**


	3. Out Alone

**Lost Children**

**Chapter 2**

**Out Alone  
**

* * *

"I could've _died_!"

"Sorry, sorry, I know—"

A crack of thunder raced across the Viridian City sky. Rain pounded the ground as Edie and Charles rushed through the doors of the Pokecenter, the Charmander huddled against her legs and clutching at his burning tail.

It was around midnight and a few travelers were still up, sitting on the modern couches scattered around the center. Edie sat down and fluffed her wet hair as Charles scooted up next to her on the couch, glaring.

"Do _not _drag me around in the rain! My very short and very boring life flashed before my eyes!"

"Calm down, princess. We're staying here for the night. If the weather's okay tomorrow, we'll go...somewhere."

"You didn't think this through very far, did you?"

"Well, _my_ plan is to find the Kanto Defense Force, but I doubt you'd be in on that."

"Aren't they defunct?"

She shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not." She shook her head, rooting through her backpack. "We'll go to Pewter, I guess. Shit, I forgot to take my meds."

"What do you take them for, anyway?"

She began counting out pills into her palm when an obnoxious familiar voice made her look up.

"Running away and popping pills? Shame…"

Brendan Birch sat on a couch opposite from them, notebook in hand. This time, he was dressed in a jaunty brown vest and pants combo. She froze.

She gave him a dark glance. "Did you follow me?" she accused.

"Oh, please. I have better things to do with my time. Journalism conference."

"What makes you think I ran away?" She popped the cap back on her medicine bottle, avoiding his searching gaze.

"Well, I don't know, do you usually spend your nights in Pokecenters in the next town over? Is that your hobby?"

"Look, Brendan," she sighed, sitting back. "I decided that it was time to start living my own life, so I left. I just wanted to escape for a little while."

He cocked his head. "How cute. How does Frida feel about this?"

"Guess."

"A little selfish of you, isn't it?" He pulled out his phone and began typing on it. "Leaving her behind like that, without even telling her you left. _Abandoning her_. It's cruel, even."

She sat up, her temper flaring. "I'm not happy about it. But— but I had to."

"_Had_ to?" His eyes flickered up to her, and then back to the phone. "And I _had_ to buy that designer watch last week. No, you wanted to. Everyone has a fatal flaw, Edie, don't be ashamed."

The shrill ring of Edie's cell phone punctured the air and she jumped. Her phone had been ringing all night, but now that she was somewhere safe, she knew that she would have to face the talk. She pulled the phone out of her bag and the caller ID confirmed her dismay. Charles watched her expectantly, and after catching his pointed look she grimaced and flipped open the cellphone.

"Hi…"

A cross between a sob and an unhinged laugh echoed from the other end of the line. "_EDIE_!"

"I'm fine, mom, I'm sorry, calm down—"

Now it was a full sob. "_W-why did you do this to me_?"

"Mom, I…" she sighed, the pathetic crying sinking her heart. "Did you read the letter I—"

"_I was so worried_!" She bit off her sobs with a few quick gulps of hair before falling into snivels again. "I…I thought you were dead."

Edie rested her head against the arm of the couch. "Mom. I'm sorry; I'm not _dead_. I'm in the Viridian Pokecenter—"

"_Viridian_? You walked to Viridian at night? Alone?"

"Yes, I did." She paused, swallowing. "Mom, I'm going to travel around Kanto for a little while. I'm not coming back home anytime soon."

Anger ripped through any panic that was left. "_EDITH_."

"I want to live my own life right now. You never gave me any freedom and now it caught up to me. You wouldn't even let me go to the pool back in Fuchsia, and that was a block down the road."

"_You get back home right now, or I will_—"

"What are you going to do, call the cops on me? You've said a thousand times you don't trust them, so that's out." Her voice softened. "I'll be fine. I packed all the necessities, and I'm ready for anything, thanks to you. All of those sports you make me do? That was a good idea."

"So you're just going to leave me? Alone? When we just moved?" Frida's voice was small. "If you come back, I'll make your favorite dinner! Tofu!"

Brendan snickered and Edie shot him a glare. "Mom, I'm not coming back. For awhile."

The phone disconnected abruptly. Edie sighed and sat up, knowing that Frida would eventually call back. Brendan smirked at her. "Tofu? Really?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I've been a vegetarian ever since they released the translators. I don't eat things that talk to me."

The phone rang again. Edie huffed and got up, walking over to the other side of the room. She stared out at the storm from the glass wall of the Pokecenter. "Hey, mom."

"All right." Frida seemed to have composed herself. Her voice was level. "You've decided this and…and I have to accept that."

Edie remained silent.

"I have to talk to you about something, though." She sighed heavily. "There are very dangerous people out in Kanto and—"

"Team Rocket. I know, you've reminded me a thousand times."

"No, no. I mean, yes, you need to avoid them at all costs, I've made that known. But now that you're out in the open, you need to understand something. Things are more complicated then that." She paused. "Just promise me you won't do something crazy and try to find the Kanto Defense Force. It's incredibly dangerous to even be in the vicinity of the group."

"Got it."

"Promise."

"Okay."

"Promise me."

"I promise," she lied.

Frida sighed. "Good. Thank you. I just want you to be safe."

"I know." Edie spied a clock on the wall— one in the morning. "Okay, mom, I'm going to get some sleep."

She was quiet for a moment. "Are you sure you don't want to come back home?"

"…I'm sure."

"Okay. It'll be lonely with you."

"I know. I'll be back before you know it."

"Sure."

"I'm hanging up now."

"Okay." Frida sniffed. "I love you."

"Love you too, mom. I'll call sometime tomorrow."

She snapped the phone shut and ended the painful conversation, resting her forehead on the window. She spied a dimly lit GYM sign through the haze of dark rain. Team Rocket was a threat, Frida wasn't all wrong- they looted trainers to keep fear instilled in the region while they controlled the Silph Corporation. The Kanto Defense Force; well, that was something else. But Frida was like that; she was always attempting to oversimplify things until the very moment when she realized that she couldn't do that anymore.

Brendan smiled at her as she sat back down next to Charles. "Well?"

"I bet you eavesdropped on me."

"I was sitting all the way over here. I'm no superhero."

She kicked her feet up on the arm of the couch. "So are we having a sleepover tonight in this Pokecenter?"

"No."

"So you're leaving?"

"No. You're leaving."

She frowned at him, sitting up. "What?"

A massively smug expression crossed Brendan's face, because at that exact moment police sirens wailed through the air. Edie turned to see a cop car pulling up to the Pokecenter.

Her head slowly turned to Brendan, a shocked, furious expression on her face. "Are you serious?"

"You're a runaway minor."

All of Frida's warnings rushed back to her in an instant. She saw the cops emerge from their cars, heading to the door. "The police are _corrupt_, Brendan!"

"Edie, you'll need to start wearing a tin-foil hat if you say things like that."

She picked up Charles and bolted, sprinting into the back of the Pokecenter. She burst through a set of doors and emerged in a kitchen, looking around wildly- there- an emergency exit.

Screams suddenly echoed through the main area of the center. Edie turned, disoriented, when she spied flashing of black clothing through the double doors. Her heart sank. Frida was right.

Brendan suddenly burst through the double doors, keening wildly. "IT'S TEAM ROCKET!"

"This is your fault! If you hadn't called the police, this wouldn't of happened!"

He wheezed, doubled over. "I didn't think Team Rocket would-"

"A Pokemon Center is a _jackpot_ for them!"

Several bodies pushed against the double doors and Edie shot through the emergency exit. No use waiting around for Brendan. She didn't owe him everything.

She emerged in a dark alley, rain still pouring. Charles grumbled and Edie ducked deeper into the alley, grabbing a trashcan lid to hold over Charles. Eventually the alley gave way to a residential street and she jogged in the darkness, hoping that she was heading towards Pewter. Her eyes flickered behind houses and trees, expecting to see black-clad Grunts, their skull bandanas casting an inhuman grin over their noses and mouths.

Charles tugged on her arm. "Where the hell are we going?"

"Pewter City!"

She spied a group of fleeing trainers ahead and tailed them through Viridian Forest, maintaining his distance. The dark silhouettes of branches cut over their heads as they passed. A sliver of the moon hung in the sky.

The shrill ring of her cell phone threw her out of her reverie and she fumbled in her pocket for it. "Hello?"

"_EDIE, EDIE, I HEARD ON THE NEWS, IS EVERYTHING—"_

"Mom, everything is _fine_. I'm fine, I'm actually in the Pewter Pokémon Center, not the Viridian one. I made a mistake. The Pewter center is totally safe."

"_But—_"

"Look, mom, I need to go. My phone battery is dying and I'm about to go to sleep. I'll call you in the morning, okay? I'm totally safe— you stay safe, too, okay? Viridian is closer to Pallet than Pewter."

"Edie, please come back."

"Goodnight, mom. Love you."

She pocketed the phone just as the group emerged into Pewter City, buildings dotting the old streets and yellow lights in windows. The trainers seemed to slow at this point, now in an open area and unsure of what to do. Loud chatter began to emerge from the crowd. Edie stayed back from the crowd, vigilant. Through the crowd she saw a policeman with direction lights motioning the crowd towards the path to Mount Moon. The crowd obeyed, taking a large path around Pewter and towards the massive mountain, its dark crags highlighted against the moon.

"Why aren't they stopping in Pewter?" Charles asked above the crowd's chatter.

"A policeman is telling them to go towards Mount Moon."

"A policeman?" He looked up at her, skeptical. "And we can't trust this one either, I suppose."

"I don't think so, it's-"

"Is everything all right?"

Edie looked up to see another policeman standing over her. She went wide-eyed, having never been confronted with an officer before— he looked official enough; a shiny badge, blue uniform. What did Frida expect her to do— run away from a police officer with trained Pokémon on hand?

She swallowed. "Uh, yessir, um, why are we skipping Pewter?"

"There's been sightings of Team Rocket in Pewter as well, so we're directing all of the trainers to Cerulean via Mount Moon. Don't worry, you're in good hands." He allowed her a reassuring smile. "Now, let's catch up to the crowd…"

The officer gave her a gentle push on the back and she squirmed away, scuttling on the outskirts of the crowd. She squinted towards Pewter City— stay with the group, or risk meeting Team Rocket on the dark streets?

She opted for Pewter, circling around the crowd and starting for one of the main roads, when a figured appeared beside her- the cop.

"I'm sorry." He gave her a small push in the direction of the crowd. "Pewter is off-limits right now. We're taking everyone through a safe route in Mt. Moon."

Edie looked up at him, real fear suddenly crossing her. No alternate escapes. "I live in Pewter," she lied.

"Well, you can go back in the morning. Here- I'll walk with you 'till Mt. Moon."

And the policeman flanked her until the group reached the massive, cavernous entrance of the mountain. Edie's heart dropped.

This wasn't going as planned.

* * *

**Shit gets real in the next chapter, just FYI…tune in next Wednesday!**


	4. Edie Gets Her Wish

**Chapter 3**

**Edie Gets Her Wish  
**

The entrance of Mt. Moon yawned around the group as they approached the glen surrounding it. The policeman was now behind the group, directing them into the mountain with flares.

Edie shuffled between an overweight girl and a sliver of a boy; she guessed that he was just bordering on ten. What bad luck for a kid to be involved in such a situation. She brushed her hand over the cell phone in her pocket and for a split second debated calling her mother. God knows what would happen then. Frida dropping dead from a heart attack. She dropped the thought, glimpsing back at the cop. He didn't look like a criminal…but that didn't necessarily mean he wasn't one.

The group stepped through the opening of Mt. Moon, the entrance of the cave enveloping them. The moonlight seemed to evaporate as heavy darkness clogged the air, and the summer humidity was multiplied inside the cave. A path lit with small ground lights stood before them, twisting into the depths of the mountain.

Her nerves itched. She hated crowds. An enclosed space. A large crowd. She looked back at the policeman, noticing the Pokéballs and billy club on his belt. He probably had a Growlithe, maybe some kind of flying Pokémon.

"I don't like this," she muttered to Charles.

"That's funny, I thought we'd really both enjoy getting herded by policemen."

She ignored his blatant sarcasm. "I'm getting away."

She ghosted through the group of trainers, maneuvering herself to the edge of the crowd. She looked over her shoulder one last time to see the policeman occupied with a sniveling younger trainer. She took a deep breath and remembered a tip her father had once given her: _look like you know what you're doing, and you can do anything_.

She casually walked out from the group and past the lit path, heading towards the darkness of the cave, when suddenly a beam of light hit her back and an angry voice struck up:

"HEY!"

Awesome advice.

She burst into a sprint and tumbled deeper into the cave, stumbling over pocks in the ground as the voice of the cop screamed after her. She ignored him, looking back for a split second to see the flashlight beam searching for her. She turned back into the darkness and flashed behind a large boulder, dropping into a crouch.

Charles dropped to the ground, gaping at her. "What? What! What are we doing?"

"My instincts told me to get out of there."

"So now we're lost in a cave filled with wild Pokemon!"

"We're not lost, Charles."

"Did the policeman go after you?"

"I don't know."

"Might want to, you know, _check_, so we don't get beaten to death."

Edie peeked around the boulder, searching for the group, when the lights suddenly cut and the entire cave was left in complete darkness. That wasn't supposed to happen.

She heard someone scream. Flashlight beams switched on and swept over the area, now crowded with men and women clothed in black and wielding flashlights. Edie's breath caught in her throat and terror gripped her. It was Team Rocket. Grunts; just the way her mother had described— clad in black plainclothes, with a black bandana tied around the lower half of their faces, obscuring their noses and mouths and emblazoned with the grinning white lower half of a skull.

Pokeballs flew through the air as both groups released their Pokémon— Ekans, Raticates, Pidgey, Koffings— and the cave transformed into a shrieking flurry of fighting animals. Fur and feathers splashed the dark air as Edie's eyes darted back and forth between the twisting forms; she zeroed in on a scene as one Grunt slammed a rock against a young girl's head. The girl dropped to the ground and blood puddled around her, illuminated by the flashlight beams. The Grunt quickly looted Pokeballs from the girl's bag.

Edie turned back behind the wall, ducking down, eyes wide. "_Shit, shit, shit, shit_—"

Charles gripped his tail. "What…what's going on…?"

"It's Team Rocket. They're stealing people's Pokémon and, and killing people and they cut the electricity." She whipped her head around before sinking further against the boulder, grabbing Charles and holding him close. "Try to cover up your tail. We've got to get out of here. God, my mom is going to kill me if I get murdered."

"How are we getting out?"

"I— I guess we run or—"

They froze at the sound of pounding footsteps and the high keening of a whimper. A small boy barreled past the boulder, doubling over and panting before looking back. His face twisted as flashlight beams washed over him; two Grunts cornered him as he shielded his eyes and grappled for a Pokeball.

"G-go, F-fluffykins!"

A Poochyena landed on the ground, raising back on his haunches and growling at the Grunts. The two exchanged bemused looks before one Grunt let out an Ekans while the other went at the trainer with a knife.

Edie bit at her stubby nails, watching the scene in frozen fear. The glint of the knife off of the flashlight beam as the Grunt brought the boy into a headlock snapped her into reality.

"We need to do something," she whispered.

"Are you crazy?" Charles hissed.

"That kid is going to get killed!"

"_We're_ going to get killed!"

She grabbed a rock from the ground and burst out from behind the boulder. "_HEY_! _STOP!_"

The Grunts snapped around to face her, swinging their flashlights, and one of them spoke. "What?"

"Uh, I-I'm—" Her voice caught in her throat, rock poised in her hand. "I-I'm part of the Kanto Defense Force, and I _demand_ that you get away from him!"

The boy whimpered and squirmed in the headlock, and the male Grunt suddenly jammed the knife into his throat. Dark blood bubbled up over the Grunt's arm and the boy made an odd gargling sound, red foam fizzing from his open mouth. The Grunt dropped him and wiped the blood on his pants, looking back to a rapidly paling Edie. "So?"

She flung the rock at him, grabbed Charles, and sprinted back into the darkness. She heard a cry behind her; the rock found a target, but the sound faded as she barreled deeper into the cave. She ran blind, shaking, one thought running through her mind: _I just watched someone die_.

She was doing too much thinking and not enough running, because Edie and boulder suddenly met. Her running form smashed into a boulder and she dropped to the ground, clutching her bleeding nose.

Charles staggered to his feet. "Are you all right?"

She scrambled up. "I'm _fine_!" She wiped the blood from her nose. "Shit. Fuck. That kid—"

"YOU GUYS WERE THE _SHIT_!"

The two screamed and whipped around to see the little boy's Poochyena illumined in the dim light of Charles's tail. He grinned at them, yellow eyes wide with excitement. "Your rock hit that dude square on the forehead! Man, he _ate it_! You guys were bitchin', totally better than my old trainer! Name's Feolan! You're my new trainer now!"

They stared at him, gaping.

Feolan laughed. "Haha, awesome! Oh, yeah, and by the way, the Grunts followed you!"

Edie's head snapped up and she clambered to find the direction she came from, but there was no need: she saw the quick beam of the approaching flashlight along with shouts of anger.

She scrambled back on her hands and feet as the Grunts closed in on her. Charles wedged himself next to her and Edie ducked as one of the Grunts tossed a rock at her, laughing. "_Ooh_, Kanto Defense Force, I'm _scared_."

Another chucked a rock at her and it hit her shoulder; she clutched at the bruise and the others laughed. "Kanto Defense Force; Kanto Defense Force; _so SCARY_!"

Amid their taunting, Edie detected a strange hissing noise somewhere close by. Suddenly, there was another voice:

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

Edie grabbed the two Pokémon and rolled behind a boulder just as a massive, fiery boom shook the cavern and a mass of rubble collapsed from the ceiling. The Grunts screamed as hunks of rock crashed around them. Hot air shot past the boulder and Edie squeezed back to avoid it. As the explosion died and the smoke drifted, she could hear sounds of pain and curses. Suddenly, a Grunt screamed with rage:

"_IT'S HIM, IT'S MIGUEL, GET HIM_!"

Edie peeked from behind her cover, choking on the smoke. The Grunts were pulling a struggling man out from behind another rock wall. As they brought him closer she could see that he was a thin, tan man with dark blonde hair and glasses.

She flinched as one Rocket kicked him in the nose; blood spurted from it and the man's head lolled back. The Grunt emitted something akin to a giggle. "This is fucking priceless, we actually got him!"

Edie's heart sunk as the other Grunt kicked the man in the chest. She wasn't going to let two people die on her watch. This time, she was going to be faster.

She jumped out from behind the boulder. "LET HIM GO!"

The three Grunts paused in their action and one aimed a flashlight beam directly in her face. She squinted and shielded her eyes, swallowing her fear. "S-stop hurting him!"

The male Grunt paled, and Ellen noticed a gash on his head. "It's that girl!"

"Some help you were." The female Grunt holding the flashlight flickered the beam over her face and her eyes watered at the sudden light. "Now you get to watch a teammate die."

Feolan shot from behind Edie, barreling towards the Grunts. "NOT ON MY WATCH, BITCHES! _THE DEUCE IS LOOSE_!"

He leaped up and latched onto the Grunt; she shrieked and threw the flashlight across the cavern, sending the struggle into darkness. Edie froze, when she heard a thump and Feolan's whimp. She darted forward, attempting to sense movement, when someone grabbed her from behind. She ripped away from their grasp, wound back and smashed her fist into the figure's jaw. There was a loud snap and a thud as the figure dropped.

She backed away, clutching her fist, when she stumbled into another body. She whipped around and was about to kick the living shit out of it when she saw his terrified face in the flare that he held.

"_No, no, hold on, it's me_!"

It was the beaten man. She backed off slightly, studying him. His glasses were cracked and almost useless now, his nose smashed at a crooked angle. Blood coated the bottom half of his face. She heaved a relieved breath. "Are there any other Rockets?"

"No, I took both of them out. And I found your Poochyena."

He displayed Feolan under the crook of his arm. Feolan grinned at Edie. "Complete and total _domination_!"

She rolled her eyes and took Feolan as Charles crept beside her. She addressed the man. "Are you okay? They came out of nowhere. There's a bunch of dead people back there."

He brushed off the question, looking concerned. "I'm fine. What I'm wondering is why you affiliated yourself with the Kanto Defense Force."

"Oh, I'm not part of it. I— I just thought they might get scared. You know, since they're Team Rocket's enemies."

He glanced sideways and narrowed her eyes at her, as if she couldn't comprehend what she had done. "You made a big mistake."

Her eyes darted. "What?"

"You say you're part of the Kanto Defense Force. Therefore, you're an enemy of Team Rocket. You get blacklisted."

"What?" Her voice rose and her eyes widened. Suddenly, the Kanto Defense Force didn't look so awesome. "_What_?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, we need to get this taken care of as soon as possible. This could be a problem."

Her hands shook. "I— I can't be an enemy of Team Rocket, I didn't do anything! I'm nobody—"

"_Look_, you said you were part of the KDF. You didn't know what you were doing. I can help you. But first, we need to get out of this cave. Are you all right? Physically?"

She attempted to swallow her fear. "M-my hand is sore, but I think I'm okay."

"Can you still walk?"

"I think so."

"Okay, good. We have to get out of here quickly, there's dozens more Grunts where they came from. The exit is up ahead, the Rockets came from the opposite direction. Come on."

He began walking at a brisk pace, Edie following. Charles looked up at her, dread crossing his face. "What's going to happen to us?"

She looked to the man leading them from the cave. "I have no idea."


	5. Blacklisted

**Chapter 4**

**Blacklisted**

* * *

The man from Mt. Moon entered the doctor's office just as the nurse finished bandaging Edie's hand. Her knuckles were bruised and there was a small cut from where her fist hit the Grunt's teeth, but besides that her hand was only sore.

The nurse smiled at her. "There. All finished. Just make sure not to run around in wild grass anymore. Now, it terms of cost—"

"Please don't charge my parents, I can't afford it," Edie lied.

"Relax." The man sat down next to Charles and Feolan in one of the chairs provided in the office. "I'm taking care of it. The nurse and I already talked it out."

Edie breathed a sigh of relief as the nurse left. She examined her wrapped hand and smiled sheepishly at the man. "Thanks."

He held up his own bandaged hand in protest. "Please. It's the least I could do. I should be the one thanking you. I just feel guilty about what happened." He frowned, shaking his head. "I'm sorry you were dragged into that fight. I was actually aiming to try and save you. The tables turned." He looked up again. "I'm Miguel, by the way."

"Edith."

"You saved my life, and I can't thank you enough for that. Most people wouldn't have done that. However..." He laced his fingers together on his lap. "We do have a problem."

"The Team Rocket blacklist thing, right?"

"Right."

She picked at her bandages. "I mean, why would they care about me?" Panic caught her voice. "I didn't do anything!"

He made a valiant effort to remain calm. "I'm not going to sugar coat it. You said that you claimed to be part of the Kanto Defense Force. That's a sure-fire way to get on their bad side. It doesn't even matter if you're just passing through. Team Rocket doesn't take these things lightly."

Edie pinched the bridge of her nose and looked up at the clock. Close to 2 AM. She had to remember to call Frida in the morning. "Okay," she said, sighing. "Is there any way we can fix this?"

His expression brightened. "I'm almost positive we can fix it. Even so, the blacklist has at least a thousand people on it, and you're pretty low on the list, I would assume. Hell, they don't even know what you look like. Or your name, for that matter. They don't really know anything about you."

"I'm still on a list of people that a giant criminal organization doesn't like."

"You're in good company."

Edie studied Miguel and got a good look at him for the first time. He was lean and tan, probably of mixed race, with unkempt dark blond hair and crooked glasses. Although he was a thin nerd-type he didn't exude the weakness she had noted in some of her father's old nerdy co-workers. She decided that if anything, she did not distrust him. "Are you on the blacklist?"

He grimaced. "Yes. I never finished hacking the system to see, but I'm positive." He paused. "I'm almost finished with the system, though, so I'll be able to get you out of the list in no time."

"So…so that's it?"

"No. You need to come with me." He whipped out a high-tech phone from his pocket and began typing on it. "Look at this."

Edie took the phone from him to see a local news site plastered with the top headline: TEAM ROCKET AMBUSHES VIRIDIAN POKÉMON CENTER, MT. MOON

'CERULEAN, KANTO- _Late this evening Team Rocket ambushed the Viridian City Pokémon Center and Mt. Moon. There was an estimated fifty members who participated in the attack. There is no body count as of now, but several trainers and Team Rocket members were killed in the ensuing skirmishes_…'

She scanned down the page, praying that she wasn't in the article, but something else caught her eye.

'_Two Team Rocket members were killed in a blast reportedly issued from a small explosive. The ambusher was not found, but it has been one of the few times an assumed citizen may have countered a Team Rocket ambush. We are reminded of the vigilante group the Kanto Defense Force from years past, now thought to be defunct…_.'

"The Kanto Defense Force," she muttered.

"No longer defunct, thanks to us two."

Hey eyes widened. "You're part of the KDF? So it's still active?"

He shushed her. "Hey, keep your voice down. And _no, _it wasn't active until…" He checked his watch. "An hour ago. Thanks to your shouting and my genius ambush, we just officially announced to Team Rocket that we're back in business."

"Sorry," she muttered.

He sighed once more and shook his head before standing up. "All right. The sooner we get you off of the blacklist, the better, so let's get going. Get your stuff together and I'll meet you at the entrance."

As soon as he left, the three looked at one another. Feolan wagged his tail. "Does this always happen to you guys? I kind of like it. Puts some spice in life!"

Charles dragged his gaze to Edie. "Well, you're officially a member of the Kanto Defense Force. Exciting, right? Very exciting."

"Okay, so maybe mom was right and the KDF is dangerous. But Miguel is going to help us out!"

"He knows how to hack computers and make small explosives."

"Okay, Mom Jr, what would you rather do: wait for Team Rocket to come and ice us off, or see if we can fix the problem?" Charles was silent and Edie stood up. "Exactly."

The group met Miguel at the entrance of the hospital and he quickly hung up his phone when he saw them.

Edie studied him, quirking an eyebrow. "So…where to?"

"Don't worry." He recognized her discomfort. "That was just the KDF on the phone. I need a place where I can hack and leave as little a trace as possible, so we're just going to the library. It's right across the bridge over there." As they walked outside, he pointed to a faraway bridge, its skeleton faintly illuminated by lights. "Just stick with me, I don't know if the Rockets have left yet…"

She surveyed the area as they walked. Cerulean City was a quiet city and they walked along one of its common streets; a tree-lined, commercial area twinkling with lights. A far call from Viridian. "There was a police guy escorting us through Mt. Moon. I think he was a Rocket."

"Correction. You _know _he was a Rocket. Most of the police force have been double agents for Team Rocket for years. That's the problem. That's what the Kanto Defense Force was for…" he frowned at her. "…_are_ for. Since we're now active."

"Hey, you were the one who threw explosives."

"I was supposed to kill a few Grunts and go. No one was supposed to see me, or know that it was the KDF."

She rolled her eyes. "So, how long have you guys been around?"

"Years and years. Before you were born, I'm guessing. Before I was born. We started around the time Team Rocket started. They—" He stopped suddenly, wide-eyed. "Shit."

"What?"

Miguel pointed to a darkened house in the near distance. She could make out faint outlines of people in dark uniforms prowling around the yard…Team Rocket. She looked around. They were alone under a streetlight. "What do we do?"

"Uh…move away from the area…" He made a move to do so before freezing again when one of the Team Rocket members pointed at them. Another figure, in a lighter color outfit, turned towards them. "Oh, shit…_Run_!"

Miguel grabbed Edie's arm and took off back into the city. She careened along with him before breaking free and running in stride, snatching Feolan and Charles up in her arms.

"In here!" Miguel ducked into a coffee shop and Edie followed suite. They hunkered down at a table in the far back, the shopkeeper looking tiredly at them in hopes that they would buy something.

"Awesome!" Feolan exclaimed, Edie dropping him and Charles into a seat. "What the hell do we do now?"

"Do you think they saw us?" Edie asked.

Miguel spoke in a whisper, catching his breath. "I don't know. They might have. A Rocket Executive was with the Grunts. There was either something really interesting in that house, or..." Something flickered in his expression. "…It was another reminder for us not to interfere."

"Should…should we do something about it?"

"_I_ should do something about it, but now with you in tow." He looked at his watch nervously. "We'll sit it out for five more minutes and then break for the library. It's a city; we're well hidden."

The shop's door chime jingled merrily as someone entered the shop. Miguel and Edie froze, hoping for just another citizen, but the gasp from the shopkeeper smashed their hopes.

"Evening, sir!" A cheerful male voice greeted the shopkeeper from the front door. Miguel's face drained of color. "Mind if we stop in for a little while?" There was a sudden snap in his voice. "You— hold him. You two— come with me."

There were the sounds of a scuffle before the click of well-made shoes became more prevalent. Edie looked to Miguel for guidance but he seemed just as terrified.

Three men rounded the corner and stopped in front of their table. Two Team Rocket Grunts flanked a young, blue-haired man in a well-tailored grey suit. His eyes were green and cunning, the rest of his face obscured by the Team Rocket skull bandana.

The suited man spoke. "Grunts. Get them."

Feolan and Charles leapt onto the table when a Pikachu suddenly shot from around the corner. A bolt of lightening shot down onto the table and Edie and Miguel drew back against the wall as Charles and Feolan were thrown aside, dazed.

Edie's mind raced. She remembered her boxing lessons— duck and weave, jab, duck and weave. A Grunt came at her and she dodged his hands and smashed her fist into cheek. He stumbled back, spitting, before launching himself at her. She stupidly expected a punch but he grabbed her head and slammed it into the back wall. Her head exploded with pain and she doubled over as the Grunt grabbed her wrists and held them tightly behind her back. She blearily looked to her right to see Miguel in the same position.

"Well, that was interesting." The blue-haired man strolled up in front of them and pulled his bandana down to his neck, revealing a sharp, mousy face. He whistled in mock awe. "Would you look at this? I caught me some KDF members." His eyes dragged over their faces. "I'll bet the Boss will want you alive, Miggy." He then focused on Edie before nodding. "You're that new face. Well, now, with a job that important you need something to commemorate it."

He whipped out a phone and shot a picture of Edie's face before she could turn away. Miguel cursed quietly under his breath and the man giggled. "That's a real beaut'. One for the old photo album." He pocketed the phone. "So, Miggy, tell me. What's with this whole resurgence thing? Teenage girls? Seriously?"

"She isn't involved, Archer," Miguel said quietly. "Please let her go."

"Yeahhhh…no. I don't think so." Archer turned and smiled at Edie. "Sorry, I'm being rude, I forgot to introduce myself to you. The name is Archer. Rocket Executive. Want to add anything else, Miggy?"

Miguel remained silent.

"Well, if you're going to be that way…" He reached inside of his suit and with a flash of metal pulled out a huge kitchen knife; he flipped the knife with delicate precision to touch the point to Edie's throat. She froze and her eyes widened.

"I was hired because I had an excellent resume _and _I'm great at dismembering the enemies of Team Rocket. Slice and dice."

Intense fear crossed Miguel's eyes. "Archer, stop, she's just a kid—"

"_She's a kid, she's a kid_!" Archer sneered, rearing into Miguel's face. "Just like your brother, huh! He was just a kid, right? Get a fucking grip. Life isn't fair. You're such a— _AHHHHH_!"

Charles shot up onto Archer's head, digging his claws into his face as the man screamed and began flailing. Edie sensed the Grunt's panic behind her and elbowed him hard in the stomach; he doubled over, clutching his middle, and toppled when she spun around and jammed her knee in his crotch. She glanced at Miguel to see him bash his Grunt's head into the wall and then grab Feolan.

The Pikachu growled at them from under the table and Edie upturned the table on it, grabbing Miguel's wrist. She ducked away from the table, dragging the man with her until he picked up into a run. Charles leapt back from Archer's head and followed suit; they tore past the two other Grunts and the now dead shopkeeper, Charles close at their heels, and shot out the door, taking off down the dark streets of Cerulean City.

The Grunts watched from the window of the coffee shop.

The Pikachu growled sadly from under the table and Archer, wiping blood from his forehead, picked it up before sighing heavily. "Those stupid fucks." He surveyed the situation. One dead bystander, two hurt Grunts, and two escaped enemies. Awesome. Giovanni was going to be overjoyed.

* * *

The group barreled down the city streets, Miguel leading them through the maze of the city. Edie stayed close behind Miguel, not daring to look back— it was just a nice sprint through the nice city. Her calm façade broke when she heard Charles gasping behind her.

She looked back for a split second. "Charles?"

"Edie," he managed to pant, his stubby legs wavering, "I don't feel so hot…I need to stop running…"

He collapsed and she stumbled back, dropping to her knees in front of him, her mind racing. She didn't have anything— no potions, no nothing. She looked around for a Pokémon Center when Charles's body began glowing, his skin emitting a soft light.

"What the—"

She stumbled back as the light burst in a flash of blindness and then extinguished completely. Her eyes clouded at the sudden light and she squinted at Charles.

"Ouch, my head…" He sat up, holding his now crimson head with formidable claws. Both his and Edie's eyes widened when they noticed this and Charles leapt up. "Oh…oh my God, I evolved!"

"What the hell is going on here?"

Edie and Charles looked back to see Miguel and Feolan running at them. Miguel huffed, out of breath. "I turn away for one second, and—" He saw Charles. "He evolved. Wow. We don't have time for that. Let's—"

"Hold up." Edie grabbed Miguel's wrist and pulled him into a nearby alley, the Pokémon following.

He tore his wrist away from her hand. "It's kind of a bad time for a talk!"

"No, this is a perfect time." Her eyes were narrowed slits. "I want to know what's going on right _now._ I almost got _murdered_ by some random criminal, and now they have a picture of me, and—"

He quailed. "—I know, I know, I know, I'm sorry—"

"—and let me guess, you can't get my photo off now, and now they know who I am and will probably follow me everywhere and kill my family and—"

"Stop, okay, stop, please." Edie quieted for a moment. Miguel rubbed at the shadows under his eyes. "I know, and I'm _very_ sorry. We need to take things as they go now. Right now, I'm going to get you to the safest place I know, and then we'll go from there, okay?"

"What safe place?"

"The Kanto Defense Force base."

"How the hell do I know if this place is safe?"

"Look, we dedicate our _lives_ to stopping Team Rocket, you can't get more honorable than that." He shook his head and emitted a short laugh. "And frankly, there's not much you can do now, anyway. You accept our help, or you're on your own. You're stuck. Besides, from the way you handled that situation, I doubt you'd have trouble beating the shit out of me."

"Okay, fine. Let's go."

Miguel peeked out of the alley before ushering them back out into the street. The sound of police sirens rose up far behind them, and they moved faster.


	6. The Kanto Defense Force

**Chapter 5**

**The Kanto Defense Force**

* * *

The group arrived at an abandoned-looking warehouse on one of the older streets of Cerulean. Other abandoned structures crowded around it, but this one seemed to be maintained despite its ruined exterior. All of the windows were intact and Edie noticed a security camera when they stepped up to the entrance. She looked into it, squinting.

"I installed that," Miguel mentioned, the slightest bit smug. "And this passcode system." He punched a few numbers into a number pad and the door clicked open. He pushed hard, the door made of some study metal, and held the door open for Edie. "After you…"

Edie eyed the dark interior of the building and then Miguel. "I don't like people walking behind me when I go into dark abandoned warehouses."

"I completely understand! Let me get some lights on, first of all." She walked in after him, massive overhead lights flooding the room to reveal a bare warehouse floor. "It's upstairs. Follow me."

The stairs creaked as they ascended. Feolan sauntered in front of Edie while Charles stayed close at her shins. He looked up at her, surprisingly taller now that he evolved. "I'm ready for anything that happens."

"Good. Let's see what's up."

Miguel glanced back at her. "Are you talking to your Pokémon?"

"No."

He squinted. "Oh, okay."

They reached a landing leading to another door and Miguel knocked loudly.

"Who is it?" a gruff voice asked.

Miguel rolled his eyes. "It's Miguel. You literally just saw me at the front door through the camera."

"Extra precautions, Gold, considering you just brought us out of retirement!"

"I'll never hear the end of that," Miguel muttered.

A tall, burly man opened the door. He was tan, muscled, and had a mess of dark brown hair. He looked to be somewhere in his 40s, one of those rugged-looking men who probably wrestled things in his spare time. Edie noticed that he had a disgustingly impressive amount of arm hair on his right arm, but he had his left arm tucked slightly behind him.

"You must be Edie!" His eyes crinkled up when he smiled and held out his right hand for Edie to shake. "I'm Red, current head of the Kanto Defense Force. Wel—"

"His real name is Russell," Miguel cut in, earning a frown from Red/Russell.

Russell sent Edie an exasperated look. "Red is a codename. Anyway, welcome to the Kanto Defense Force's current base." He looked back at Miguel. "So, did you get her out of the system?"

"Um…" he paused. "No. We were heading to the library and met up with Archer and a few Grunts…and…they got her photo."

Russell's eyes widened. "_What_? They got her on _file_?"

"I, uh, think we should discuss this privately…"

Russell threw his shoulders back. "Emergency meeting, _now_!" he snapped. "Blue is already in the meeting room. Let's move STAT!" He turned to Edie briefly. "Stay here."

Russell and Miguel disappeared behind a closed door in the back of the room. Edie was alone.

"Well, this is totally not strange at all," Charles said, strolling forward.

The large room was poorly furnished, with couches, a bookshelf, and a refrigerator cast to one side, all sitting upon the bare floor. On the other side of the room was a small technical base with a large computer and an impressive assortment of tech equipment.

Feolan wagged his tail. "This place looks like the perfect spot to hold a kidnapped kid in." He turned back to Edie, fake surprised. "Holy shit, Edie, it's perfect for you!"

"Shut up." He did have a point, though— it was shoddy and looked bigger than it was supposed to be, as if more people were meant to inhabit it. She was even hesitant to walk forward.

"This place is making me nervous…" Charles looked up at Edie. "Let's just leave and go back home! I'm sure we can get through Mt. Moon!"

"Go home? Charles, we just met up with Team Rocket, I don't think going home will make anything better—"

A door opened and a woman emerged from the meeting room, her voice cut off at a point. "—probably terrified, you idiots!" She slammed the door and sighed angrily, then turned to look at Edie across the room. Her face softened. "Hello there. Sorry about all of that secrecy, darling. Take a seat if you'd like. You must be really quite tired after all of this madness."

She _was_ tired, and what could sitting down do? She crossed over to the couch and sat down on the edge of the cushion with the Pokemon.

"Anything to drink?" the woman asked from the refrigerator.

"Um, no, thanks."

"Suit yourself." She crossed over to the couch opposite, sitting down with a glass of what looked like water. She was a pretty, thin woman in her early 40s with long dark hair and almond-shaped brown eyes. Contrary to the furnishings of the room, her clothes and make-up were very nice. "I'm Marylyn. Terribly sorry about leaving you all alone like that. You're Edie, yes? Edith?"

She nodded.

"Edith, what a lovely name." She smiled, and then sank into a frown. "I'm terribly sorry about what's happened. Half of this is our fault."

"Do you know what's going to happen to me? I mean, am I going to be okay?"

She half-shrugged, not giving anything away. "Well, darling, we're still working things out, but we'll certainly take care of you." She paused. "Perhaps this would be a good time to contact your parents."

"Parents?" Edie froze. Frida couldn't know. The lie came out before she could think any better. "Oh…well…my mom is, um, institutionalized, and my dad works in Jhoto. So they sent me on the road. And I'm from Saffron. So…yeah." A truly sloppy lie, but Marylyn seemed to accept it.

Charles rolled his eyes as Marylyn leaned forward, concerned. "I'm so sorry, darling."

"It's okay. I'll just call my dad later, it should be fine."

"Are you sure…?"

She swallowed. "It's fine! I'll work something out!"

There was silence for a few seconds before Russell and Miguel emerged from the meeting room. Marylyn looked at them expectantly. "Well?"

Russell looked somber and Miguel stood, clearly uncomfortable. Something was wrong. Russell clutched a binder in his left hand, letting his right arm hang normally at his side.

Edie had to hold back her shock— his right arm, starting at the elbow and down to the hand, was totally robotic, one of those metal skeletons made for amputees.

Russell cleared his throat. Her gaze snapped back to his face. "Sorry for the wait, Edie." He paused. "Unfortunately, we don't think Gold can trace you out of the Team Rocket system."

"_What_?" Marylyn snapped.

"It's complicated!" Miguel protested. "They have her name and photo. I can't just slip in and delete her information. Shit's too hard to crack."

Edie's eyes widened. "So what do I do?" Her voice rose in anger. "I was just trying to get through Mt. Moon!"

Marylyn patted Edie's knee. "Darling, it's not your fault."

Miguel frowned. "Except for the fact that you said you were part of the KDF."

"I was trying to scare them," she spat. "I was under pressure!"

Russell shushed Miguel as he was about to speak. "Everyone, calm down. Edie, you're going to be fine. You're of little importance to Team Rocket, frankly. No offense."

She calmed slightly. "Okay."

"But that doesn't mean you're completely scott-free, and that's where we come in. We'll keep an eye out for you."

She quirked an eyebrow.

"Well, first of all, where are you from?"

Marylyn cut in. "She's from Saffron. Her parents are…busy right now."

Edie attempted to look pathetic. "I can't really go home, so…" She shrugged. "I think I'll try to camp out somewhere until my dad comes back from Jhoto." She peeked at Russell. "I mean…is it safe to do that?"

He grinned, clutching the binder. "Sure it is, especially with the Kanto Defense Force on your side!" Marylyn frowned. "By having us watch out for you while you're on the road, you become part of the valiant effort to stop Team Rocket!"

She frowned. "I thought you guys were defunct."

Russell's smile swiped away with a sullen frown. He eyed Miguel. "Now we're not."

"I got tipped off online and thought I'd do something," Miguel said, shrugging. "We can't just sit around, hiding."

"_Hiding_?" Edie repeated.

"Let me explain how we'll keep you safe!" Russell quickly announced. "It's simple. If you see anything suspicious while you're around Kanto, just give us a call!"

She frowned. "Doesn't that mean I'm part of your group?"

"Not necessarily. We do all of the hard work, you're just a scout. Since _someone_ ended the hiatus early, and we have a new member, I think it's time to bring the Kanto Defense Force back to its former glory." He grinned and clutched at the binder he still held.

Marylyn placed a protective hand on Edie's shoulder. "She's not a member," she stressed. "I don't want her associated with us. She should really be home."

"Don't worry, Blue, it's fine. She's just a scout. She can just go home when her parents come back. I'm sure they'd thank us for watching out for her!" He passed Edie the binder he held and she rested it in her lap. "Now, check this out. You'll find all sorts of KDF history and interesting information to get you excited about our cause!"

Edie frowned at his eagerness to push her into the group. These people didn't live up to her expectations. Although her mother might have been crazy, she always had reasons for warning Edie about things. And she had warned her about the Kanto Defense Force.

She opened the tattered, old binder and flipped to an old newspaper article on the Silph Corporation, when Team Rocket first took it over. The newspaper was from the day of the takeover. She didn't remember the event very well, but she was certain that her mother did. It was when everything collapsed, when Team Rocket truly became a major threat to Kanto. Her mother had taught her well. Ever since Team Rocket had taken over the Silph Corporation in 1990, Kanto had become, as Freda stressed, '_SO, SO DANGEROUS_'!

"These losers are weird," Feolan muttered to Edie. Russell glared at him. Edie made no sign of acknowledging his comment.

She smoothed her hand over the page. "I guess I can do this whole scout thing."

Russell's eyes widened. "Really?"

"I…guess so. If it means I'm safe."

"Our first priority!"

"Okay, then…" She flipped to another page in the binder, narrowing her eyes. "Who's this?"

The three looked over her shoulder. On the page, beside typed font, was a mugshot of a young man, perhaps in his late 20s. He had strong features and slicked-back black hair. He had impressively dark eyes and his stare at the camera was dead and devoid of emotion.

KNOWN NAME, the text beside him read. GIOVANNI.

"Um, that is," Russell said, stumbling, "the leader of Team Rocket. That's an old picture."

She read the page. 'Giovanni' had been arrested for possession of a firearm. Her eyes widened. A…_gun_? Guns had been illegal for decades now, and it was extremely hard to get one. She'd only seen them in very old movies. The photo was taken in 1975, age 28, which would mean he was 49 now.

"If…if you happen to see this man," Russell said, "get away from the area and call us." She noted the fear in his voice.

"I'll keep an eye out." She looked back at the picture before shutting the binder, patting it. "Mind if I take this with me? I want to finish reading."

"For a day or so," Miguel cut in. "But I've got to grab it from you, so I'll call you tomorrow. Speaking of which…" He produced something from his pocket and handed her a high-tech looking phone. She marveled at it. "There's your phone. Call us on this phone if you need anything or if you see anything."

She placed the phone in her pocket and then binder in her backpack, glancing at a clock on the wall. Two in the morning. She needed sleep. "So…what now?"

"You're free to go," Russell said. "Although I suggest staying in the nearest Pokémon Center for the night."

"Call us if you need anything," Miguel added.

The three adults saw her out of the building and in the direction of the Pokémon Center, Miguel making especially sure that he didn't see any Rockets in the area. Soon after, the three vigilantes disappeared back into the building, and the three travelers were left walking in the moonlight. They were silent for a while.

"What the hell are we doing, Edie?" Charles asked finally.

With the tattered binder tucked under her arm and the warehouse framed behind her, there was a pit in her stomach. This was not good.

She shook her head. "I have no idea."

* * *

**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	7. The Path of the Righteous Man

**Chapter 6**

**The Path of the Righteous Man**

* * *

"These people are batshit crazy."

Edie flipped through another page of the binder, sitting at a table in the Cerulean Pokemon Center. She read in the bright morning sunlight. The page was an old newspaper clipping, carefully laminated. At the top of the page was the frozen image of a large building exploding, a massive hole filled with fire and smoke. The headline shouted: TERRORIST ATTACK ON RICATTO BELLO FACTORY. Scribbled on the bottom of the picture in half-illegible handwriting: _TR building eliminated_.

"They attacked an Italian restaurant factory…" she muttered.

Charles frowned at her from his seat at the table. "What?"

"You know that shitty Italian chain, Ricatto Bello?"

Feolan's ears perked up. "They have the most ballin' unlimited breadsticks _ever_."

"Yeah, well, the KDF attacked one of their factories."

He gasped. "That's sick. People probably didn't get any breadsticks!"

What purchase did they have in attacking fast food? She had never been there because it received a sub-par rating from her mother. She flipped through the entire binder, through pages and pages of newspaper clippings detailing the exploits of both groups— Team Rocket hostage situations, Kanto Defense Force attacks on seemingly random buildings, many pages of complicated computer coding belonging to presumably both groups. The KDF was smart; there were no documented names or photos of the members, only scribbled-down codenames: _Red. Blue. Gray. Black_. _Yellow_.

"I don't know about these KDF people," Charles muttered, peering at the binder. "They make their base in an abandoned warehouse, use bombs, hack into computer systems, attack Italian restaurants, and allow a random girl to be a part of their team."

"It's not like I trust these people, Charles. But I trust them more than Team Rocket."

"I think they're badass," Feolan mentioned. "They blow shit up. Too cool."

"And besides," Edie continued, "we already had a run-in with Team Rocket. Which is worse? And we're not actually working for them. We're just…whatever Russell called it. Scouts, or something."

Charles shook his head. "I know. Just…let's be careful."

"But let's be badass, too," Feolan mentioned. "Because that's just as important."

Charles glared at him. "Feolan, why don't you go home?"

There was a pause. "Huh?"

"Home. Like, your family. We saved you from your trainer, who you clearly didn't care about, so don't you want to go back from where you came from? _Home_?"

He gaped at them for a moment. "Uhh…I thought I was staying with you guys!"

"Huh," Charles said, as neutrally and passive aggressively as he could.

Feolan's ears flattened back as he studied his paws. "I, uh, I've been passed around trainers since I was born, so I, uh, don't really remember. I don't really have a home to go back to…"

Charles's annoyance withered. "Oh." He glanced at Edie and she glared at him. "Well, you could stay with us if you wanted." He paused. "I mean, we could always use another teammate in case anything happens…"

"So I can stay with you guys?"

Edie cut in. "Definitely."

Feolan jumped from his seat. "YES, _MOFOS_!" He bounced back, grinning. "Dudes, you will_ not_ regret this. We'll be so awesome….beating up bitches, saving the world!"

Charles grimaced. "Right…well, we don't really plan to, uh, 'beat up any bitches'…"

Edie toned out the two Pokémon, starting at a poster across the room. She had eyed it ever since she woke up that morning, its words burning a hole in her mind. It was a painting of a massive ocean liner, its lower half a glossy bright red, with fireworks spiraling above it. Embossed across the boat were bold white words: S.S ANNE GALA TONIGHT! DANCE AMONG THE STARS!

She was somewhat like a Meowth in that she coveted anything shiny or glamorous. She didn't consciously want to drip in diamonds or drive expensive cars— she simply was drawn to it. She always assumed that it was because people covet what they can't have.

There was a sharp ringing tone from her backpack. The three jumped before Edie fumbled in the pack and removed her new phone, the source of the ringing. She answered the phone hesitantly.

"Hello?"

"It works!"

She recognized the voice. "Miguel?"

"Yeah! Sorry. I'm happy this works. It's just a cellphone with a few little tweaks. It's my newest project."

"Oh." She glanced at the phone briefly. It was heavily modified.

"Yeah, well, look, I need to meet up with you for a few minutes. I'll grab the binder from you, if you don't mind. And I have to tell you something that, uh, that Russell didn't tell you."

Something that Russell didn't tell her. She frowned, her guard rising. "I'm in the Pokémon Center."

"Great, I'll be there in a few minutes." The phone clicked off.

Charles looked at Edie. "What was all that about?"

"Something secret, apparently..." She smoothed her thin hand over the old binder, feeling the tattered edges of plastic. A date on the front of the binder said 1970. It seemed so in the past; before she was even a thought.

She took her medication and paused to check in with her mother via phone. Frida was either working or doing nothing, as usual. Her wavering voice always dropped a hunk of emotion on Edie's heart. Said emotion was a mixture of guilt and gloom— she could imagine her mother, one hand on the phone, the other picking at her eyebrows. She was a skin picker, and Edie clearly remembered a few terrible months when she was ten and Frida had to draw on her eyebrows.

Edie didn't mention the Kanto Defense Force.

Miguel arrived soon after, peering around the Pokémon Center before he made his entrance. Edie watched as he checked for invisible enemies; he stopped when he met her gaze.

He shook his head as he took a seat at her table. "You can never be too careful."

"It's a Pokémon Center."

"I'm pretty sure that one in Viridian got attacked a day or two ago."

She shoved the binder at him. "So, you guys blow up chain Italian restaurants?"

Miguel frowned. "What?"

"This newspaper article? You guys attacked the headquarters of that Ricatto restaurant."

"Oh…" He slowly took the binder from her. "Well, you know how Team Rocket has men in the police force?"

She frowned. "Don't tell me they also control shitty chain restaurants."

"Ricatto Bello is delicious," he warned. "But evil. Don't go there. That's all we know about. They could own more businesses. They put out feelers and go for whatever will make the most profit. Team Rocket is just an incredibly violent business empire. With mafia influences."

"And we're up against them."

"Team Rocket used to be scared of us. Now, they're too powerful. We're nothing. That's why we went on a hiatus. Russell just…" he rolled his eyes. "He's gone a little soft in the head after he realized that the Kanto Defense Force is screwed and it's his fault." He paused. "Don't tell him I said that. We still have a small chance, I guess, if you dig up anything."

Edie frowned. "So it's all on me?"

His eyes widened. "Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that! Seriously, don't think that. If anything went wrong, the guilt would kill me. God knows we put pressure on my little brother."

"Right, your brother…" she paused. "That Rocket guy, Archer…he, uh, mentioned him…"

Miguel's face shifted into a poorly masked pained expression. "His name is…_was_ Noble…" She waited as he stumbled over his words. "I— I don't think he's alive."

She paled. "…I'm sorry."

"He wanted to help out with the Kanto Defense Force and Team Rocket captured him. Two years ago. He'd be a little older than you now."

Her heart seized as she watched Miguel, struggling to maintain composure. "I'm really, really sorry."

He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "It's in the past. Years." His sighed, starting to clean his glasses on his shirt. "Just…be careful. That's what I needed to tell you. Russell makes it seem very heroic and everything, but this is dangerous business. Even if you aren't really a member, Team Rocket is a scary group. So many people have been killed working with us. If you need _anything_, call us. Call me. We'll help you."

"O-okay."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, but you need to know the truth. And we're always a phone call away."

"Do I have to do this? I mean, is there anything else I can do?"

"You could go home right now, but I wouldn't advise it. Just wait it out a bit and then when everything seems fine go back home. Patience is key."

"Okay. I guess I can just shift around…"

"Do you have anything planned?"

She nodded her head at the S.S Anne poster. "A fancy boat party, I wish."

He noticed her uncertainty, eyes flickering to the S.S Anne poster. His pained expression slowly replaced itself with a grin. "What if I told you that I had a ticket?"

"Huh?"

He took out his wallet and pulled from it, with a flourish, a shining gold ticket. She gasped and went to grab it before stopping herself.

"Here, take it." She took the ticket and examined it, eyes wide. Miguel laughed. "One of my best friends is named Bill. You may have heard of him, he created the first Pokémon Storage System. He always gets a ticket to the party, but he never goes. He always gives it to me and I never go, either. So, it's better off with you."

She grinned and looked up at him. "Are you serious?"

"Sure! You deserve a break after all of this mess."

"Wow…" She smiled sheepishly. "This is awesome. I've never been to a ball before. Thanks a lot."

"No. Thank _you_." He checked his watch and sighed. "I should go. Enjoy the party." He stood up and gave her a little salute as he left. "Remember, call us if you need anything."

"Will do. Thanks again."

As the doors closed behind him, Edie clutched at the ticket, reading it obsessively. "It's _tonight_! And there's…alcohol!"

Charles tried to grab the ticket from her. "You're sixteen!"

"Hey!" She held it out of his reach. "Calm down, mom. We deserve a break!"

Feolan smirked at him. "Yeah, _mom_."

Charles huffed. "You two seem to have forgotten that Miguel just told us that his little brother was kidnapped by Team Rocket! And murdered!"

Edie stuffed the ticket in her pocket. "I know, Charles. It sucks."

"But that's what happens when you get involved! You get kidnapped and killed!"

"We'll keep our distance, okay?"

"Good." He sniffed. "At least they seem a little more trustful now, I suppose."

"Why, because Miguel lost his brother? That's a good thing? That makes them more trustful?"

"No! It's just— well, it reminds me of a quote. 'The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the tyranny of evil men'."

Feolan raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

Charles shrugged. "It's a Biblical passage."

"Ooh, so you're a bible thumper."

"I'm not a bible thumper," Charles shot back. "It was the only thing to read in Professor Birch's house besides _The Joys of Jello_!"

"Oh. You just study it." Feolan nodded in mock wisdom. "So…you're like one of those bald guys who wears giant brown paper bags."

"…A _monk_?"

"Yeah, whatever."

"Ugh." Charles shook his head.

"Quit it, guys, we should head out soon. The party starts at 10." Edie shifted and looked out of the window. She could spot the top edge of the warehouse over a few tall trees. "Let's just see how righteous we can be without getting killed."

* * *

Archer sat in a Cerulean payphone booth, sulking, phone in hand. He stalled, watching people pass on the street. He would have to make the call.

He held the phone up to his ear, sitting through the dial tones.

A bright voice answered. "Ricatto Industries, how can—"

"This is Archer."

"Oh. One moment."

There were a few more tones and then another voice.

"Yes?"

"Hey." The other voice didn't respond and he continued hesitantly. "We finished up with the house and…we saw Gold. He came out of nowhere. And there was another one. Some girl. A teenager. Got her photo. Pale, thin, pretty average looking."

Archer waited for a response before continuing. "Yeah, we, um, we tailed them back to a coffee shop and…well, they kind of beat the shit out of the Grunts. " He paused. "We, uh, we didn't get them."

There was a heavy, ambient silence on the other end of the phone. It went on for a full minute, and then: "You failed at your most basic task."

"I know. I'm sorry. I— I really fucked up on this one." He scratched at the back of his head. "We didn't leave any trace, though, we offed the coffee shop guy who saw us and we busted the security camera, so—"

"You failed at your most basic task."

"…You're right." Archer's gaze went to the window, tired.

And then, there she was. His eyes bugged and he squirmed in the phone booth to get a better view. He spied her on the street with her little Pokémon troupe, gangly and lean, a decided spring in her step. In her hand was a flash of gold paper that she marveled at with wide eyes. He squinted and recognized the famous symbol of wealth— a ticket to the annual S.S. Anne gala.

"Um." He returned to the conversation. "Just kidding. Change of plans. Are you going to the S.S. Anne party?" The other end was silent and Archer hurried on. "Can someone get me a ticket to the S.S Anne party?"

"Consider it done."

"Thank you."

"Clean up the mess."

"Right."

The line went dead and Archer hung up the phone. He was too young for this shit.


	8. Shopping Spree!

**Chapter 8**

**Shopping Spree!**

* * *

The three travelers entered a world of twirling streamers and sparkling garlands as they stepped onto the S. S. Anne, the deck of the cruise ship awash in a rainbow of dresses and suits. The men and women on the boat were perfectly coiffed in flashes of color. Edie slouched in her ratty tee shirt and shorts, but her eyes were wide. She gazed over the glossy paint of the boat and the glamorous individuals cascading around the desk. Her heart rose. She was actually here.

"May I help you, miss?"

She turned to see a formally dressed sailor with raised eyebrows. She looked behind her to see that she was holding up the ticket line. "Um, sure, I'm sorry, here's my ticket…" She dug the crumpled ticket out of her pocket.

He examined it, eyes widening. "Oh, of course. A guest of Mr. Bill. Right this way."

They trailed behind him, the situation so overwhelming that they didn't notice the blue-haired gentleman waiting in line impatiently, watching them. The Pikachu on his shoulder hissed.

"Here we are." The sailor stopped at a door in the side of the ship, and Edie gaped as he opened the door. Her room was a massive, plush suite. A sitting area and a hot tub all faced a massive king-sized bed. A balcony out to the sea jutted from the room, doors opened to let in the salt air.

The sailor quietly slipped away as Edie set her backpack on the bed, awed. Charles gaped at the room. "How much money does this Bill guy actually have?"

"Oh, BALLS!" Feolan leapt onto the bed, looking around wildly. "This place is tighter than a fat chick's bikini!"

"This is _so_ insane…" Edie sat on the bed and shook her head as if to clear her mind. The red carpet was plush beneath her shoes. "This Kanto Defense Force thing…cruise parties and giant rooms? I could get used to this." She rose, peeking into the walk-in closet and clicking off and on the gas fireplace.

"I'm still suspicious," Charles announced, although the fireplace quickly transfixed him.

Feolan bounced into a plush chair, snuggling back into it. "I hope you brought a fancy dress to match this room, because we've got some rich people to steal from."

"Shit." She looked up from the fireplace, alarmed. "I don't have a dress. I didn't even think about that."

"Do you have anything?" Charles asked. "A skirt? A dress?"

She snorted, shaking her head.

"Well…the KDF _did_ say to call them if anything was wrong. How much money do we have?"

She didn't answer, instead getting out her phone. "I think this counts as an emergency." She pushed Feolan aside and sat down in the chair and punched the speed dial on her phone, holding it up to her ear. The dial tone buzzed only once.

"_GREY_ _WHAT'S WRONG_?"

Russell's panicked voice shot through the phone and she flinched, moving it from her ear. "Nothing's wrong, god! Calm down!"

"Oh. Okay. Sorry." He sighed with relief. "Well, that's good. So, what do you need?"

She paused. "Who's Grey?"

"That's your official codename! Just so that your real name is never exposed."

"I thought that I wasn't part of the group."

"You can never be too careful!"

"Are you expecting something bad to happen to me?"

"No, of course not! That's ridiculous!"

There was the sound of another phone being picked up. "Yes, he is," Miguel deadpanned.

"GOLD," Russell said angrily.

"She needs to be careful, since it looks like you're forgetting the consequences of not doing so."

"She knows," Russell huffed. "Edie, just remember to be careful because people associated with the Kanto Defense Force do tend to…" he struggled with his words. "…get…into…trouble…"

The euphemism didn't sound too optimistic. "Can I please just talk to Marylyn?"

"Um, no."

"What? Why?"

"She's incapacitated right now."

"_What_?"

"She's drunk," Miguel said.

"GOLD! GET OFF THE PHONE. I SEE YOU. YOU'RE LITERALLY ACROSS THE ROOM—"

"She has somewhat of an alcohol problem."

She threw her hand up. "_What_? First you assume I'm going to get killed, then you tell me one of the _three_ members is an alcoholic? What the hell is your _problem_? Are there any normal people in the Kanto Defense Force?"

Russell's voice took on a twinge of panic. "Ahh! No! I mean, yes! You can talk to her! Please don't leave us! Here, I'll put her on, _bye talk to you later all right here she is bye_—"

"EDIE!" Marylyn squealed.

She squinted, feeling a headache coming on. "Hi, Marylyn…"

"You _rang_?"

"Um, yeah. Look, Marylyn, I was wondering if you knew any places to buy a nice dress? I need a dress for the S. S. Anne and—"

"A DRESS?" she asked shrilly, and then proceeded to shriek with laughter. "I LOVE shopping! I'll meet you in front of the boat, posthaste! Give me five minutes!"

The line went dead. Edie stared at the phone. "Well," she said, "I guess that solves that problem."

"Can she get us alcohol?" Feolan asked.

Edie ignored his comment and Charles's critical look and picked up her backpack. "Let's roll. Don't want to keep a drunk waiting."

They walked onto solid land again just in time to see Marylyn touch down in front of them on a large blue bird with soft clouds for wings. Marylyn spotted Edie and waved at her, smiling widely.

"_Darling_!" She hopped off the bird and gave Edie a little hug. She seemed slightly tipsy but relatively steady, even though the booze smell still clung to her. "Have you met my Altaria, Duchess? Isn't she beautiful?"

"I'm male, for the record," Duchess said shortly.

"_She's_…beautiful," Edie ventured to Marylyn, ignoring Duchess' statement.

Marylyn beamed, grasping Edie's hands in delight. "Well, I simply cannot wait for this shopping adventure! We're going some place special. The famous Celadon Shopping Mart!"

Edie's eyes lit up instantly. "Are you serious?"

"Would I lie?"

"I love Celadon City! I've always wanted to go back, I used to visit it all the time!" She grinned despite Marylyn's newfound issue. "You're the best!"

"Oh, darling, I'm nothing. And who doesn't love Celadon? Now, let's go!" She leapt back onto the bird. "Hop on!"

The three climbed onto Duchess, Charles cringing as they lit into the air. They rose through the clouds, Vermillion shrinking below them.

Charles tapped Edie on the back. "Edie…I'm feeling a little sick…"

Her head snapped back to him. "Don't tell me you're scared of the dark _and _flying!"

"This is my first time flying! I didn't know!"

"Just try not to barf on me…" She huffed and turned back to look over the side of the bird. They were past Vermillion and she could see Celadon up ahead; to their right was a much larger, towering metropolis. Her eyes widened and she realized what it was— Saffron City. Her hometown. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen it, let alone been there. She picked out Silph Co, tall with glass plating, and gave it a good once-over. It didn't look particularly evil.

"We're here!" Marylyn sang over the sound of wind. Edie's gaze snapped away from the corrupt city and looked upon Celadon. They slowly made their descent, Charles attempting not to be sick onto everyone.

With a flutter of wings, Duchess touched down in front of a huge brick storefront. Clipped trees lined the Celadon city street and mannequins inhabited the windows of the department store, posing with the latest chic fashions. Charles ran to the nearest trashcan and vomited profusely.

Edie smiled as she took in the sights. She remembered taking frequents trips to the city when her family lived in Vermillion. She was thrown from her thoughts when Marylyn grabbed her hand and swept her through the revolving doors of the department store.

"The best department store in Kanto!" she trilled. "Well, with the exception of Hobotson's in Saffron. But it'd be a bit unwise to go into Saffron City now."

The scent of perfume hit Edie as the crossed into the store. The interior of the department store was quaint and old, with open upper floors and one old-fashioned copper elevator. More mannequins posed lavishly, wearing clothing that Edie guessed was worth thousands. She and Marylyn grinned at the sight.

"Follow me, darling!" Marylyn shuffled into the elevator, bangle bracelets jangling.

As the elevator doors closed, Edie frowned at her. "Aren't you guys being, you know, hunted down by Team Rocket? Isn't it a little dangerous to be out in public?"

She smiled. "Oh, poo. Don't worry. Russell is a little paranoid. We _used_ to be top enemies." She shrugged. "Now, of course, we're useless."

Edie frowned. "You guys aren't useless. Miguel helped me in Mt. Moon."

Marylyn chuckled and patted her on the head. "In the bigger picture, darling, we don't bother Team Rocket that much. We don't act anymore. We're too old."

The elevator doors opened and Marylyn put on a cheerful face as they exited. "Now, let's think of happier things. I know I have a use now— finding you a dress!"

She spread her arms at the expansive selection of formal clothes, hung on circular racks around the room. A rainbow of gowns swept the floor, sparkling in the low store light. She began plucking at a rack of dresses, pulling out gowns and holding them up to Edie. "What color?"

Edie examined a price tag on a dress, her eyes widening. "Whatever color, just something cheap…"

"Oh, nonsense!" Marylyn dug a fat wallet from her purse and whipped out a credit card. Edie caught a glimpse of several other cards, but her focus shifted when Marylyn stuck the plastic in her hand. "It's on _me_. I mean, we got you into this situation so I see no reason why we shouldn't contribute to your welfare. Just find a dress and pay when you're ready!"

"Wow…" She stared at the card in her hand, vast amounts of money at her disposal. Frida rarely used credit cards; she had only seen them a few select times. "Uh, thanks—"

"Not at all. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be back shortly!" Marylyn disappeared among the clothing racks, leaving Edie standing with the credit card in hand. Feolan and Charles waited expectantly.

"Well, I guess I'll pick out a dress…" She shuffled to a dress rack, plucking at the dresses. "I don't really know how to pick out party dresses."

Feolan quirked a brow. "You're a teenage girl who doesn't know how to pick out clothes?"

"It's not like my mom ever takes me out shopping," she snapped. "And since I'm homeschooled I don't have anyone to show off to." She strayed over to an array of dresses and grabbed a flowing coral dress, inspecting it.

Charles examined a silver dress. "Actually, Edie, this color would complement your eyes quite well, and paired with a diamond bracelet it would look wonderful!"

Feolan gave him a dubious look.

He glared at Feolan. "I just like fashion, all right? There's nothing wrong with that!"

"Yeah, whatever, weirdo." He occupied himself with another rack of clothing.

"Well, at least we have some money, I guess." Edie examined the credit card. "And we can always sell the dress after the party for some cash."

Feolan stuck his head out from behind a clothing rack. "Hey, Edie, do you think you could get Marylyn to buy me something kind of expensive?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What?"

"I found this sick hat…" He rummaged around in a rack before pulling out a frilly magenta bra, and then he worked it onto his head so that it covered both of his ears. "I need help putting it on but it looks sick as balls and it'll help me get all of the bitches."

"Feolan, that's a bra," Charles said.

"What's a bra?" He gave him a skeptical look. "Don't lie to me because you're jealous, dude. This is going to be my Steppin' Out hat. Purpose— getting the bitches."

Charles rolled his eyes and Edie preoccupied herself with a dress. "Whatever, fine, I don't care, but I'm telling Marylyn that you said you wanted it."

She examined the coral dress again. It was long and flowing and when she held it up to her in the mirror it seemed to look nice. She was too thin for a fitted dress so this would do.

Just as Edie was looking into a mirror with the dress, Marylyn reappeared, stumbling through the clothing racks towards the group. She had a badly concealed flask sticking out of her purse.

"Lovely dress!" she chirped at Edie's dress choice, having just enough pride not to slur her words.

Edie frowned and turned to face her from the mirror. "Are…are you drunk?" She watched as the woman's face drained of color.

"No, I'm Korean," Marylyn snapped, before staggering over to an orate trashcan and vomiting into it.

"I think she's still drunk," Feolan whispered, bra still on his head.

Edie watched Marylyn uneasily. "You…you need to get some help."

She wiped off her mouth with her sleeve and steadied herself. "You'd be an alcoholic too if you spent your entire life in the Kanto Defense Force." A beat, and then regret crossed her face. "I'm sorry, darling. That was uncalled for. I'm fine. Really."

Edie clutched at her dress. "You don't look like it."

"No, honestly, I'm sorry, ignore what I said about the KDF, really." She directed her attention to the dress and gently pried it from Edie's hands, mustering up a smile. "Come on, now, let's buy you this and some shoes to match."

Feolan nudged Edie and she pointed at Feolan. "Uh, Feolan also wants to buy this…bra, if that's okay."

"Also, I'd like this bowtie." Charles held up a black bowtie.

"And Charles wants that bowtie."

"Yes, of course!" The numerous items did not break Marylyn from her guilt. She collected the items in her arms, keeping her head down. "Let's go pick up a pair of shoes and then check out."

After a quick stop at the shoe section, Marylyn swiped her credit card at the counter and they were out of the store and back into the sunlight.

"Well!" Marylyn managed a smile. "That was fun, wasn't it?"

Edie returned a hollow smile back. "Definitely."

* * *

The three travelers practically fell back into their room. Edie collapsed on the bed, face-first. "Holy shit," she muttered through the quilt.

Charles shook his head. "Edie, I'm telling you—"

Her head shot up. "SHUT UP, CHARLES! Will you please just shut up? I _know_! Believe me, I know! Jesus!" She sat up and grabbed her backpack. "I got to see what time it is. The party probably starts soon."

She dug through her backpack for her cellphone but felt a hard piece of plastic in doing so. She frowned and pulled it out to find a gold credit card. The name on it read MARYLYN CHOI.

"Oh, shit," she muttered. "I have Marylyn's credit card."

"_One_ credit card," Charles responded, fixing his bow tie in the mirror. "Did you see her wallet? She must of had at least five of them. I think she funds the KDF."

"Shit."

"We can return it to her after the party."

Feolan gave Edie a sly look that instructed her to definitely not return it to Marylyn after the party.

She rolled her eyes at him but put the card in her wallet regardless. Never know when she would need the money.

The dress came off the hook in the bathroom and Edie changed into the flowing fabric, braiding her hair in a low braid. She slipped her feet into the wedge sandals bought with the dress and looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't own any make-up so she wet her finger and smoothed out her thin eyebrows and applied some lip balm. Good enough.

She stepped out of the bathroom to meet Charles and Feolan at the door of the room. Charles looked pleased with his bowtie, claws behind his back, and Feolan sported his Steppin' Out Hat.

She stopped when she saw Feolan. "Oh, come on, dude."

He responded with a scowl, made less serious with a frilly bra on his head. "It looks awesome!"

"It's a bra."

"It's a hat!"

"It's a bra."

They stared each other down before Feolan huffed a massive sigh and tore it off of his head dramatically, leaving the sorry bra lying on the ground. "FINE."

Feolan stormed out the door and Charles and Edie exchanged eye rolls. This was going to be an interesting night.


	9. A Bad Night

_Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing! 50 Shades, The Stupidest Author, and all of the randos! You keep the story going!_

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**A Bad Night**

The S.S Anne gala was in full swing.

Elegantly dressed women and men glided across the floor, weaving around marble columns. Couples spun in time with the string quartet, playing an instrumental version of the newest hit pop song, for some reason. Ice sculptures gleamed on buffet tables. The lights were dimmed and champagne glasses sparkled in the low orange warmth.

The three continued into the ballroom, passing by a large mirror. Edie snuck a quick look into it and observed her current state: a tangled braid, bags under her eyes, and a slightly over-sized dress. Beautiful. She cursed herself for not getting Marylyn to pay for some kind of major makeover.

Feolan admired himself openly in the mirror. "Man, not that I'm bragging or anything, but I look really damn _good_! I mean…" He snuck a glare at Edie. "I'd look better with my Steppin' Out Hat, but _whatever_."

Edie frowned at him before looking around the room, searching for any other Pokémon. She glimpsed only a few others. "Hey, let's stick together, because I don't really see—"

Feolan, not listening, turned to her. "Yo, I'm signing off to go find some bitches. Charles, you can come but _don't_ cramp my style."

Charles rolled his eyes. "You have _so_ much style, Feolan."

"Um, duh. And your sarcasm bites. Whatever, I'm out of here. Catch you later, Edie!" He sauntered off in the direction of a small group of Pokémon.

She sighed and looked down at Charles. "You better go with him, just in case he does something stupid."

"Are you all right alone?"

"Sure. Look, I'll meet up with you guys later, okay?"

"COME ON, CHARLES," Feolan shouted over his shoulder.

He shrugged at her before running off after Feolan. Edie watched them leave before zeroing in on a buffet table piled with a massive assortment of food. She hoped there was tofu.

* * *

Archer leaned back against the wall of the ballroom in his crisp gray suit. He was bored. His Pikachu, officially christened Archer Jr., nosed around at his feet, snuffling for any dropped pieces of food, which was ironic because Archer wasn't eating anything. He contemplating taking the Pikachu to a vet, but then stopped contemplating.

Once Archer Jr. resigned itself to drooling, Archer took to casually scanning the room. He picked out a few Kanto Gym Leaders. Somewhere in the crowd was Ariana, most likely dressed in some distressingly expensive gown, but she wasn't going to give any sign that she knew him. Not that she would normally, either. Bitch.

He gave a half-hearted attempt at picking out the girl from the crowd, but when the only identification he had was a vague memory and a crappy photograph of a thin female face curtained by brown hair, there wasn't much to go upon. There were thousands of thin, average-looking white girls. He was hoping Miguel might be here too, but chances were slim.

Archer sighed. He would go get a drink and some night air out on the deck. He scanned the crowd before inching towards the bar. He didn't want to look sloppy, not after what had happened in the coffee shop. Who knew who was lurking in the crowd, watching him.

"Gfkslkrfdsj," Archer Jr. gargled when Archer shifted away from the wall.

"Act normal," he hissed.

The Pikachu vomited a little on his shoe. He frowned. What a fucking night.

* * *

"So…"

Feolan and Charles stood next to literally the only other Pokémon in the room, who was unfortunately (for herself), a female Vulpix.

Feolan inched closer to the Vulpix. "Hey. Are you a parking ticket?" He paused. "Because I like you."

She walked away.

Feolan turned to Charles, distraught. "I should've worn my Steppin' Out Hat!"

Charles slapped himself on the forehead. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Edie came away from the buffet table distressed. There was no tofu, although she snagged one of the last rolls from the breadbasket— which turned out to be pumpernickel, her least favorite bread. And then, taking a final look at the table, she noticed a calling card written in neat gold script: CATERING PROVIDED BY BELLO RICATTO. What a joke. She finished eating the roll, grimacing, before turning towards a nearby punch bowl for some solace.

She went to ladle some punch into a glass when suddenly she felt someone grab her hand and twirl her around. She started and jerked back, whipping around to face the interloper.

Her eyes widened in surprise and fury. "_Brendan_?"

"In the flesh." The young man was dressed in a white tuxedo jacket and black pants, his white hair combed and parted in the middle. He gave a little bow, took her hand, and kissed it. "I'm not going to lie, I'm shocked to see you here. No offense, but I'm sure you weren't on the guest list. Also, I assumed that you were murdered back in Viridian."

She jerked her hand away, glaring at him. "You little shit!"

"Well, that was a creative insult."

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Kanto journalism conference."

"You…you…!" She sputtered. A little part of her wanted to thrust her palm up at his fat face and crack his nose. "You're an asshole! You almost got us killed _and_ you ratted me out!" She threw her hands up. "Why the _hell_ would you do that?"

He put on a smug smile. "Survival of the fittest, obviously, and I was the fittest at that time."

"You're overweight," she spat.

"I prefer the term 'festively plump'. You're ruining my evening. Come on, Edie, let's put this behind us and have a dance."

"I'd rather eat dirt." She watched the drink in his hand. Maybe smashing his drink would be less violent.

"I've been thinking about you, Edie."

"Oh, _really_?"

"Yes. You know, I've been doing some reading on poor scholastic performance, and I noticed that an apathy for learning can be triggered at a young age by a traumatic event. Isn't that interesting? _A traumatic event_…for example, a divorce or…or a _parent abandoning his family_. You wouldn't happen to have one of those occur when you were young, did you, Ed—"

She slapped the half-full glass from his hand and it crashed to the ground with a sharp, high noise. Guests around them turned to look at the source of the sound. Edie bore her sharp glare into Brendan's eyes before walking past him and exiting the ballroom through a door near the punchbowl.

The cool night air was a relief but it didn't stop the anger burning in her chest. She found a secluded spot on the deck and sat for a few minutes, composing herself. She knew that Brendan was full of bullshit, but his tidbit of information was true and it hurt like an old wound reopened. The only solace was the thought of Brendan's embarrassment at the smashed glass. She smiled to herself.

"I'm sorry, but this is just too goddamn pathetic."

Her eyes widened at the familiar voice and she looked across the deck to see Archer observing her. She stumbled to her feet and then froze in fear.

"It would've killed me to have to murder some sad girl sitting in a corner in her pretty party outfit." He paused. "Loving that dress."

She turned on her heel and burst through the ballroom door, back into the party.

Archer blinked. "Well, fuck."

Edie ignored stares as she tore off her heels, hopping on one foot like an idiot, before ghosting through the ballroom barefoot. The dim light turned sinister with her fear and every suited figure was an enemy. She was shaking and her heart vibrated in her chest— there was a very dangerous man on the boat, an enclosed area with only one exit, and he was after her. And she didn't know where her Pokémon were.

They needed to escape.

She weaved through the crowd, searching in vain for Charles and Feolan while her brain fired a rapid chain of thought. _Shit_,_ shit_,_ shit_,_ shit_. She thought of Charles and Miguel, both warning her again and again of the danger of the KDF. Well, fuck them for being right.

She looked over her shoulder to make sure he wasn't tailing her— no sign— and just as she turned back she collided with the solid form of Brendan Birch.

She stumbled back and looked at him, bewildered, mind working furiously on survival. Brendan smiled sheepishly, head bowed, hands clutching another drink. She noticed the lowball glass that housed his drink. "Edie! Glad we bumped into each other again; I had some time to reflect and I realized that what I said was a bit uncalled—"

She grabbed the drink out of his hands and pushed him out of her way when she saw a flash of red scales and black fur on the far side of the ballroom. He gave a huff of reproach but she was already halfway to the Pokémon, only slowing to pour the liquid from the glass into a potted plant.

As she neared them Charles spied her. He smiled and waved. "Edie! We were wondering where you went!"

"We need to leave, _now_." She grabbed him in one arm and snatched up Feolan in the other despite his protests, and headed for the exit. "Archer is here."

"_What_?" Charles practically shrieked.

"Archer— he's here, I saw him, he complemented my dress, I don't really know." She crossed the threshold of the exit and into the full dark of the night on the deck. "Let's just get the hell out of here."

She raced along the ship's hallway when she heard a scuttling noise tailing her. She looked over her shoulder to see that diseased-looking Pikachu darting after them, crackling with electricity. "Oh, _shit_."

Charles spied the Pikachu and began wiggling out of her arm. "You two run, I'll take him!"

"Charles, no, we're almost—"

He broke from her grasp and landed on the ground. Edie stopped and whipped around; Charles inhaled to prepare an attack when a bolt of electricity shot through the air and hit him directly in the chest, throwing him back with a cry.

"_CHARLES_!" Edie darted forward and grabbed him, narrowly avoiding another thunderbolt, before sprinting the rest of the way to her room. She slammed the door behind her, locking it. She tossed Feolan and the highball glass on the bed and gently placed Charles in a chair. He was unconscious.

She turned to Feolan. "What do we do now?"

He gaped at her. "Don't ask me!"

She clutched at her hair, pacing, when there was a knock on the door. The two froze and stared at the door.

"Who is it?" Feolan asked.

Edie shushed him and spied through the peephole to see Archer rocking back on his heels, whistling a small ditty. She stumbled back when his face reared up in the peephole and the doorknob began to rattle in its socket. She realized that he was picking the lock.

"Um, um, _shit, shit, shit_—" She spied the highball glass on the bed and then looked at Feolan. "Hide."

He burrowed under the bed's covers. She grabbed the glass from the bed before wedging herself behind the door, knuckles white around the glass. She assumed that the door opened in, and, not wanting to think about what would happen if it didn't, waited as Archer picked the lock.

The doorknob fell from the door, nestling on the carpet, and the door swung inwards.

"Room service!" Archer stepped through the doorway and Edie locked onto the back of his blue head.

His stupid quip alleviated any hesitance that she had and she smashed the glass over his head. He spun around and plunged the knife through the air; she ducked and thrust a shard of glass into his cheek. He roared, hands going to his bleeding face, and instantly she saw her chance— she struck him in the stomach and he dropped to his knees on the carpet; she kicked him hard in the temple. He slumped to the side.

The clock counted off a few ticks. She stared wide-eyed at Archer's unconscious form, blood coating her hands. Feolan peeked from under the covers, expression brightening.

"Yeah, Edie, sick badass action! Teach me your ways, master!" He laughed at the unconscious Rocket. "What a little bitch!"

She swore, her entire body shaking. "We need to get out of here. I don't know if he's out or just stunned."

She wiped the blood on her party dress before putting on her running shoes and collecting her things from the room. She slung her backpack over her back and picked up Charles. She was about to leave when she spied the kitchen knife in Archer's hand and quickly plucked it from his grasp.

"Take his wallet," Feolan suggested.

She gave him a look before actually complying, nabbing a thin leather wallet from Archer's pocket. She could use the money.

She hurried out of the room with Feolan. They heard a groan from behind them and walked faster, Edie slipping the knife in her backpack. She knew a punch to the solar plexus was painful, but she didn't know what kicking someone in the temple did. Nothing good, she assumed.

Charles stirred in her arms but remained unaware. They stepped off from the boat and headed towards the Pokémon Center, a glowing beacon of safety. On the way, Edie spied her old street, and glimpsed the roof of her old house. Her childhood home. She frowned and remembered Brendan's words, but the thought was gone as soon as they entered the Pokémon Center.

Edie handed Charles to one of the nurses and collapsed on one of the cushions. She closed her eyes. "I need to quit."

Feolan's ears perked. "_What_?"

"I need to quit the Defense Force."

He started sputtering. "But— what— we just started being badasses!"

"_Feolan_!" She glared at him. A nurse returned Charles to her side and Edie frowned at his sleeping form. "We got away from Team Rocket this time. I don't want to see what would happen next time."

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed! Remember to review! Happy Belated Thanksgiving!_


	10. Edie Quits

**Chapter 9**

**Edie Quits**

* * *

He received a call at about 6:30 in the morning, from the police. He was already awake; he didn't have any definite sleep patterns. On the other end was a commotion of voices before someone drew the phone away from whatever crowd there was.

"Hello? Hey, look, everything went to shit. Half my face is cut open and she kicked me in the fucking head. I don't know, something's wrong, my eyes— I mean, you know, the pupils, they're different sizes, and I'm dizzy, I've got this headache, look, we're going to the hospital now, I—"

The call cut off abruptly, probably from loss of signal. He placed the cellphone back on the desk, next to a pack of cigarettes and a gold letter opener. He logged onto the computer and pulled up a file named KANTO DEFENSE FORCE. He scrolled down the photos until he found the correct one.

* * *

"This is why I came with you," Charles scolded. "I saw you jump out of that window and I knew you were a magnet for trouble."

She slapped her forehead and dragged her hand down her face. "Thank you, _mother_. I told you, we'll go see the KDF right after I finish packing."

Edie folded her party dress, tucking in the bloodstained parts and smoothing over the fabric with her palm. She sat in her normal attire, Feolan and Charles flanking her on the Pokémon Center couch. All of them slouched, their minds sluggish and eyes bloodshot. Although the three had spent the night in the center, none of them had slept. Edie and Feolan had sat for most of the night, staring out the windows and door to watch for Archer.

She stuffed the dress into her backpack and turned to Feolan. "All right. Let's see what you got."

He sat, wagging his tail, Archer's wallet in his mouth.

She gingerly accepted it from him. "Ew, you got spit all over it..." She opened the wallet to find a good amount of crisp bills, along with an I.D, a credit card, and a few gift cards. She pocketed the gift cards and cash but stared at the credit card and I.D in her hands.

Feolan eyed her. "So…we use the plastic for a portable hot tub?"

She waved the card at him. "They can track this stuff, doofus. They'd catch up to us in a week."

"Bummer."

"I don't know, Feolan…" she squirmed, now looking at the I.D. It was a simple white card with Archer's picture and a string of numbers. "Maybe we try to find the one last good cop in Kanto and call them."

"The _cops_? We just stole some dude's wallet!"

"Oh, yeah!" She glared at him. "That was your idea. Thanks."

"We'd be broke if I hadn't pulled that genius out of my ass! And don't worry, because I'm sure Archer has got some TR cops after you already. I mean, you smashed a glass over his head, stabbed him in the face with a piece of glass, punched him in the gut, and then kicked him in the head."

She buried her head in her hands. "Shit."

"You're crazy. We're getting murdered by the end of Tuesday, and on our gravestones, it'll say, 'Here lies three idiots who tried to mess with Team Rocket, and then got murdered'."

"Thanks for the detail, Feolan," Charles muttered.

Edie frowned at the I.D. "I'm not crazy. It was self-defense. My mom made me learn it."

"That wasn't the wimpy self-defense shit they teach to teenage girls."

"Whatever, I don't know, my mom signed me up. Not the biggest problem right now, Feolan!"

"I can't believe you stole a wallet," Charles added.

"Also not the biggest problem right now, Charles!" She clutched her head and leaned forward, squeezing her eyes shut. "We…we just need to talk to the KDF, okay? I'm ready; let's get this over with and then figure out what the hell we're going to do after."

Charles frowned. "You mean…we're not going directly home after this?"

She stood up and turned to face him. "I don't want to go home and then have Team Rocket appear at the front door. When they figure out how to track my address, we've got a problem and we'll go back. But for now…" she shook her head. "I can't afford having Team Rocket follow me back to Pallet. I need to protect my mom."

* * *

Edie and the two Pokémon paused at the door of the Kanto Defense Force hideout. She pressed the buzzer and stared into the camera, slouching.

The door clicked and they dragged themselves upstairs to the other door. She knocked.

There was movement behind the door. "Who is it?" Russell's voice asked.

"It's me. Edie. Obviously."

"Oh! Grey!"

She frowned. She was deeply regretting this nickname business. The door opened and Russell appeared in the doorway, smiling. It pained her to know that the only reason he was smiling was because she was helping them.

"How was the party? What can we do for ya?"

"Hey." She paused. "I quit."

He stopped, caught off-guard. "What?"

"I—"

"IT'S MY FAULT, I KNOW IT!" Marylyn jerked her head around the doorframe, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, darling, I know that shopping trip was a disaster, but—"

"_No_," Edie snapped. "That's not it. Just let me come in." She pushed past the two adults to slump on one of the couches. She spied Miguel on the computer in the corner, and he turned to aim a questioning look at her. Russell and Marylyn crowded on the other couch.

She sighed heavily before: "I have to quit the Kanto Defense Force. I was at the S.S Anne party and Archer tried to kill me."

"_WHAT_?" Russell and Miguel shrieked. Miguel leapt up from his seat.

"I don't know what happened, he just appeared out of nowhere and then went after me! I…I knocked him out and then ran. I don't know what happened to him."

The three gaped at her. Miguel was the first to react, huffing, cornering around the couch. "I knew this was going to happen. Of course this would happen."

"What?" Russell clearly could not comprehend that there was a flaw in his plan. "But, but—"

Miguel snapped around to face him. "Good going, Russell! This plan worked out fantastically! Are you an idiot?"

Russell looked between Miguel and Edie wildly. "I— I—"

Edie threw her hands out at him. "You said that everything would be okay! You said that I'd be safe!"

"You should have called us," he finally sputtered.

"Yeah, let me just whip out my phone and dial you guys while some psycho is going at me with a knife! Shit!"

"And you beat him up?"

"I don't know, I kicked him and he went down. I— I didn't kill him or anything." She wrung her hands. "I can't do this. I— I don't want to do this!"

"That's…understandable," Russell sighed, eyes focused on the ground. "I'm sorry about what happened. I forgot about what Team Rocket will do to guarantee success."

"I…I just want out. I can't do this." Edie looked at Miguel pleadingly. "Just try to get me off their database or something."

"But what are you going to do now?" Russell asked. "You can't just run around Kanto alone."

"So what should I do, go back home? Team Rocket busts a window and gets in? Hurts my mom?"

Russell sighed. "Look, Edie, I know you just had a terrible experience, but just consider staying."

"And get attacked again?"

"By staying with us, we're guaranteeing protection and you're working towards a good cause—"

"Are you kidding me?" She shot up, grabbing her backpack. "You guys aren't protecting me, you just wanted me in this shitty group so you could try to bring back the KDF or something!"

"Edie, honestly—"

"I'm sixteen years old. And now I have Team Rocket after me. Because of you guys."

Miguel frowned at her. "You were the one who identified yourself as a KDF member in Mt. Moon. We're trying to help you, Edie, honestly. We just suck at it, because we're run by a washed-up middle aged turncoat."

Russell shot up from his seat. "HEY!"

"I don't care about any of this, _I QUIT_."

Edie stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her, the Pokémon barely making it through. She rushed down the stairs and out the front door before the others could go after her, hurrying down the street and back to the Pokémon Center. The sky above was clotted with gray clouds.

"Shit," she hissed through her teeth, fists curled at her sides. She gave Charles a begrudging look. "You were right. You were so right."

She waited for Charles's smug smile, but instead he looked up at her, concerned. "We're not with them anymore."

"Yeah?"

"…So where do we go now?"

* * *

Back in the Pokémon Center, the three watched the sweeping downpour of rain outside of the massive windows. Feolan, being nocturnal, napped next to Edie while the girl munched on some Tofu Snax, staring out the window. Charles skimmed the newspaper.

"There's nothing in here about Archer," he muttered to Edie.

"So either he got up and walked out, or somebody helped him." She shook her head. "Another thing to worry about."

He lowered the newspaper. "Where are we going? Since we're not going home, which is what I would prefer."

"Charles. Think of my mom."

"I know, I know. It'd be terrible if they came for us there. I just…" he folded up the newspaper. "I don't know what to do. I'm worried for us. For you." He looked up at her, brow creased.

"You don't have to worry about me."

He gave her a skeptical look.

"Okay, okay. Well, hey, um, I have an idea where we can go. Take a look at this postcard."

Edie hesitated before reaching into her backpack to whip out an old, crumpled postcard from Celadon City. It was folded in half, the folded ridge worn down. She opened the postcard and a photo fell from it; she snatched the photo from the ground and passed the postcard to Charles, holding the photo back. The postcard depicted a collage of the famous sights of the city— the department store, the Gym, the Pokémon Mansion.

"I want to go back to Celadon City one more time," she said finally. "That trip with Marylyn sucked, and I want to do Celadon right. It's easy to get there from here. Me and my mom and dad used to do it all the time." She smiled at Charles' frown. "There's all of this fun stuff to do! I heard they opened up a casino!"

"Define _easy to get there_," Charles said.

"I think we just go through the Dark Tunnel, into Lavender Town, down another route, and then take the Underground Path in. Easy!"

Feolan opened an eye. "Dark places are the shit!"

Charles frowned. "So, we stay in Celadon for a bit, lay low…and then we go back home?"

"When we think it's okay. I mean, we won't stay there all month or anything. Just for a week or two. And then…" her face saddened. "We'll go back."

"Fine." Charles handed her back the postcard and noticed the photo. "What's that?"

"Oh, I don't know, it was in the postcard for some reason." She paused before handing it to him. It was a family— a man, a woman, and a little girl. The woman was beautiful, short dark hair and light eyes, and the man was tall and smiling, ruffled brown hair with a pale complexion. The little girl was sitting on the man's shoulders, brown hair done up in pigtails and a small laughing face.

"That's when we were in Celadon." She paused and pointed at the man and the woman. "That's my mom and dad. And that's me. I was like three or something. I don't know."

"Your mother looks beautiful," he commented.

"Well, that was before she went nuts." She took the picture from him and put it back into her backpack. "Want to head out in the morning?"

Feolan grinned before dozing off again. "I am so there…"

Edie went back to her Tofu Snaxs when she noticed Charles looking at her. "What?"

"Your mother has now had two family members abandon her."

"Fuck _off_, Charles! It isn't my fault!"

"I'm just saying, Edie. Don't you care about her?"

She crumpled up her bag of Tofu Snaxs and stalked over to a trashcan, ignoring Charles's comment. She was on her own path now.


	11. The Little Pokemaniac

**Chapter 11**

**The Little Pokemaniac **

* * *

"Whoa," Feolan said. He nudged Charles. "Hey, yo, this is where we go when you and me die!"

Charles frowned. "I didn't need to hear that."

The three travelers stood at the exit of the Rock Tunnel, looking around Lavender Town. The Pokémon Tower rose above them, a white stone tower capped by a gray, pointed roof. Tiny windows dotted the bleak white tower, a vertical graveyard.

There was a police barricade around the tower and officers moved in and out of the area. Edie eyed the base of the tower and the cops. "This place gives me the creeps."

"I would say that's Team Rocket's fault."

She turned to see an elderly bald man standing next to her, considerably shorter than her and with a slightly hunched posture. He had impressively bushy eyebrows and cradled a squirming baby Cubone in his arms.

"Sir?" she asked.

He pointed at the police. "Team Rocket took over the tower about a week ago. We think they're going after the Cubone." He paused and covered the baby Cubone's ears. "The skulls hold a high price, I've heard."

She hesitated. "The police….I mean, it's good that they're there, but—"

He held up a palm to stop her. "That would be the Lavender Town Police. We decided to make our own police force that we can completely trust."

A wave of relief swept through her. Why didn't she and Frida just move here? "Wow, that's awesome."

He held a hand out. "I'm Mr. Fuji, Director of the Pokémon Tower."

"Edie."

He turned back to the tower and shook his head, furrowing his brow. "It makes me furious. If I was younger…"

"I wouldn't worry too much, sir." She felt it was her duty to be the public relations person as the Kanto Defense Force. "Someone will come along and help."

He chuckled. "Well, if they don't, I suppose I'll have to intervene—"

"_Yeowch_! Hey, kid, cut it out!"

"Good puppy, haha!"

Edie and Mr. Fuji turned to see Feolan being harassed by a small girl in a princess costume. Her low, dark pigtails flew as she bounced around, whacking Feolan with her princess wand. When she saw the two staring at her, she stopped and grinned at Edie.

"You look tired," the little girl said. "You should get more sleep."

"Marnie!" Mr. Fuji chided.

Edie rolled her eyes.

Marnie rolled her eyes back at her. She slouched, mimicking her posture.

The older girl straightened. "Hey!"

"Hey!" Marnie looked indignant.

Edie attempted to remain adult in the situation. "Copying people isn't nice. Neither is hitting Pokémon with princess wands."

The little girl displayed a gap-toothed smile. "Do you believe in ghosts?"

She frowned. "…no?"

"Because there's definitely a ghost standing behind your shoulder."

Edie looked sideways at Dr. Fuji and he smiled, ruffling the little girl on her head. "Marnie is a very unique little girl. She thinks she can see ghosts, and—"

"I _can_ see ghosts, grandpa!"

"You're right, my apologies. Marnie _can_ see ghosts and is a budding actress. She practices by copying people. You've gotten a nickname from that, haven't you, Marnie?"

Marnie curtsied at Edie and the Pokémon. "My friends call me Copycat. I can talk to Pokémon, too!"

Mr. Fuji laughed. "All right, I think our new friend is on information overload! Why don't you go check on the Cubones and then I'll make you a snack?"

"Okay, grandpa!" Marnie grabbed Edie's limp hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, Edie! Remember to sleep more, okay? Bye!"

The little girl scuttled back into the Pokémon House and Mr. Fuji laughed again, shaking his head. "That would be my granddaughter, Marnie. She's a handful. She's gotten into copying people, and just got her translator chip. She's quite energetic."

Marnie seemed much more together than Edie had been at that age. She recalled struggling to speak to strangers, not entertaining them with mimicry. "Do you all live here?"

"She lives in Saffron with her mother, but she dropped her off with me for a few weeks because it's safer." He sighed. "Of course, then Team Rocket appears in the Pokémon Tower, and Marnie is upset." He shook his head. "Well, I've taken up your time. You look like a traveler."

"Guess you could say that."

He paused. "Need another traveler?"

"Huh?"

"Hold on a minute." Mr. Fuji shuffled into the Pokémon House and returned with a small Meowth in his arms. She blinked up at Edie with wide, blank eyes. "Found this Meowth out and about a few days ago. Cute little thing, but doesn't say a word. Mute."

"Oh," Edie said neutrally, eyeing the cat.

"I thought maybe a little change of scenery would do her some good." He paused. "Hoping a trainer would take her, but we haven't had much luck."

"Uh…"

"You can always bring her back!" Mr. Fuji handed the Meowth to her and she took it automatically.

"Oh— okay."

"Well, I've taken up enough of your time and burdened you with another companion, so I'll let you go. Be safe."

"Uh, thanks, you too…"

Mr. Fuji shuffled back into the Pokémon House. Edie watched him, Meowth still held out at an arm's length.

"Did that guy just force you to take a Pokémon?" Charles asked.

"Pretty much."

Edie set the Meowth on the ground and then squatted down next to her. "Do you have a name?"

"Potato!" Feolan blurted out, before laughing hysterically at his own stupid joke. Charles glared at him.

Potato said nothing.

Edie frowned, avoiding eye contact with the Meowth. "Okay…do you talk at all?"

She continued to stare.

Edie stood up again. "Well. Um…" She looked around, the reminder that they were standing at the base of a massive grave finally distressing her. "We should all probably get going, so—"

Potato suddenly sprinted away into the bushes, disappearing.

"Well, that was interesting," Charles said.

"This is stupid!" Edie slung her backpack over her back, throwing a hand up. "Let's just get to Celadon. Old people scare me. This town scares me. Come on."

She trudged off towards Celadon and the two Pokémon followed, giving one last glance back at the Tower.

They continued down Route 8, and as they neared the Saffron City gate their unease grew. Trainers dotted the area; Edie noticed a suspicious air to some of them. She threw her sweatshirt hood over her face, bitter knowing that even if she wasn't part of the Kanto Defense Force, she would still be targeted.

They stepped down into the Underground Path, patrolled by a part of the Lavender Town Police Force. At one point Edie heard a scuffling behind them and looked over her shoulder, but nothing was there.

As the reached the end of the tunnel, light spilled from above. They exited the tunnel to reveal Celadon, an old city with tall brownstone buildings and black iron light posts. The three gaped and stepped onto the streets, walking in awe. As they came upon the Pokémon Center, a modern building appeared amid the other buildings.

"There it is!" Edie gasped, stopping and pointing at the building. A massive, dark neon sign christened the building, CELADON GAMECORNER.

Charles frowned. "It looks closed."

"Duh. It's only…" she checked her phone. "Three o'clock. We'll come back later tonight. We can grab something to eat, I know an _awesome_ tofu place, and—"

A rusting in the bushes next to the Pokémon Center caught her eye, and suddenly the small feline face of Potato popped from the bushes, blinking at her.

"_Gah_!" Feolan jumped back from the bushes. "It's the creepy one!"

"Feolan." Charles frowned at him and then looked back to Potato, speaking in gentler terms. "What can we do for you?"

She emerged from the bushes further, walking up to Edie and sitting down next to her. She flattened her ears back and stared.

Edie squinted at her. "Um…look, if you're not going to talk, we can't understand what you're getting at."

Potato continued to stare.

"Are you going to run away again or what?"

Potato slowly shook her head.

"Uh…" Edie frowned. "So…do you…do you want to hang out with us?"

Potato nodded.

The three travelers exchanged glances. "I, uh….sure…?"

Potato continued staring at her.

She fiddled with a strap on her backpack. "Well, uh, welcome to the group. Uh, we're going to hang in the Pokémon Center…is that okay?"

Potato blinked.

"…Great."

They stepped into the Pokémon Center, Potato with them, but not before Edie stole one more look back at the Game Corner. Tonight was the night.

* * *

**Sorry for the wait, everyone! Exams and such!**


	12. Giovanni

**Chapter 12**

**Giovanni**

Edie was practically drooling as they approached the Game Corner, the building aglow in the late summer night. Multicolored lights framed the walls and huge, tinted windows held silhouettes of what was waiting.

The four glided through the revolving doors of the casino, wide-eyed. Warm light bathed the casino, roulette wheels and blackjack tables crowded by gamblers. Pokémon milled around their trainers. A waiter appeared, greeting Edie with a grin. "Can I get a drink for you, m'am?"

His question surprised her; she looked up at him, eyes gleaming. There were no rules, no parents to warn against the dangers of anything. "I'll take a…uh…um…"

"_A rum and coke_," Feolan hissed. Kyoshi whacked him upside the head.

"A rum and coke!" Edie exclaimed.

Charles crossed his arms as the waiter disappeared. "They didn't even card you! What kind of business is this? And you shouldn't be drinking, anyway!"

"Charles, it's _fine_," Edie said. "Besides, we need a break! Now, shut up, you're going to cramp my style."

She wiggled her way into a crowd surrounding a blackjack table, fishing in her pocket for some money. The dealer was flashing cards at each gambler, starting another round, but just as he was getting to Edie she noticed someone staring at her on the opposite side of the table. She looked up to see Miguel glaring at her, wearing a ridiculous fake mustache.

She froze, and to make matters worse, the waiter came back and stuck the alcoholic beverage in her hand. She offered Miguel a weak smile before he disappeared into the crowd.

She slipped away from the table to meet Miguel in the crowd; he pulled her over to an empty table, throwing his hands out. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Why are you wearing that stupid mustache?"

She reached up to pull it off; he slapped her hand away. "Don't touch that!" His voice dropped. "I'm in disguise!"

"Disguise?"

"Look…you shouldn't be here. I'm investigating possible corruption."

She frowned. "Team R—"

"_Shh_!" He sighed. "But yes. Now go away! You need to leave. You should be home!"

"I…live in Celadon?"

"You are the queen of bullshit." He placed his hands on her shoulders and maneuvered her towards the exit. "Please, just leave, okay? I shouldn't even be here, it's too dangerous."

"I just wanted to have fun, I'll leave soon—"

"No, _now_."

He all but pushed her out the front door, leaving her standing outside, dejected, rum and coke still in her hand. It took her a moment to grasp the situation.

"This sucks." She kicked at a loose piece of gravel, looking back through the doors. Miguel was gone. She sipped on her drink. "I can't even have fun at a casino without Team Rocket ruining it."

"All the more reason to get back to our hotel," Charles mentioned, noticing the drink. "And did you ever pay for that!?"

She glared at him. "No! But I guess that's a good thing, considering I would've been practically donating to Team Rocket!"

They set off away from the casino, moping, before a scream suddenly cut the air. The three stopped, startled, looking back— it came from the direction of the casino.

Edie assumed it was a Pokémon before gingerly continuing on, when another scream hit the air— and suddenly, she recognized the voice.

"Whoa, hold up." She spun around. "That was Miguel."

Charles exchanged looks with her. "Edie, we really shouldn't get involved."

"We'll— we'll just check on him. I'll call the KDF." She puttered back towards the casino, pulling out her KDF phone and dialing.

The dial tone stung her ear, and then a generic message tone. Damnit. She jammed the phone back in her bag, in front of the casino again, and strained her ears.

Faint voices— Feolan perked his ears up and squinted at the side of the casino. "It's coming from the alleyway!"

It was barely an alley, one of those half-alleys used for cutaways and dumpsters, but she squeezed through it anyway, following the voice. Feolan and Charles struggled behind her, the latter muttering about how this was a bad idea.

Edie lead the group, groping blindly in the darkness, when her foot suddenly snagged and she toppled over, skinning her elbows and landing hard on the asphalt. The thing that she tripped over hiccupped.

She scrambled up at the noise, squinting at whatever was in her way— as her eyes adjusted, she realized _who_ was in her way. Miguel.

"Shit."

She grabbed his shoulders and hoisted him up from the ground, propping him against the wall. Her palms came away wet; she wiped what was probably blood on her shorts. Miguel blinked sleepily, glasses cracked and nose smashed. There was a wheeze in his breath.

"Come on, come on…"

She snapped in front of his face; he flinched in annoyance and brushed her hand away. "Edie, I told you to leave!" Blood flecked as he spoke. "They're coming back for me!"

"I'm not leaving you here to die!"

She worked her arms under his shoulders and heaved, dragging him from the wall. She was strong, but her progress was painfully slow. As she worked backwards out of the darkness, she saw a flash of light from the depths of the alley. She froze as angry human and Pokémon voices suddenly cut the air.

At this point, Edie decided that she would take Miguel's advice and leave him there to die, and promptly dropped him and bolted. Someone snagged the back of her jacket collar; she choked as she was yanked backwards and slammed down on her back and head. She choked for breath, the world spinning around her— figures stepping over her, muted sounds, her arms suddenly grasped by several hands. Figures pulled her back through the alley and she struggled to find footing, discombobulated in the darkness and haze of pain.

Her world suddenly became bright, too bright; she blinked hard and noticed fluorescent lights above her. She managed to stand, crane her head around to see the figures in the light. Grunts, their noses and mouths masked by skull handkerchiefs.

She was suddenly shoved into the middle of the small crowd of Grunts as they entered a room. A Grunt grabbed her wrist and her backpack flew from her arm and skittered across the floor. Her mind suddenly caught up to the situation— where were her Pokémon? Terror seized her and she thrashed in their grips, elbowing one of the Grunts hard in the nose. There was an audible crack and a snort of blood. The other Grunt bashed his elbow into the top of her head and she screamed, her mind exploding with pain and vision swimming from the blow.

As her world refocused, she realized that she was now in the front of the crowd and facing an unfamiliar man. He was tall, leaning back against a desk. Smoke plumed from his head; in her confusion Edie thought that his head was smoking when she realized that he held a cigarette.

The unfamiliar man looked at her casually. He was dressed in an expensive black suit. He wore polished black shoes and a cigarette dangled in his fingers. His face was strong and sharp and his combed back dark hair had a slight sheen. As Edie briefly looked up she caught his disturbingly dark gaze, and a memory flared in her mind. There was something extremely familiar about his face— the sharp features, the dark eyes…the dead eyes. She suddenly realized in horror where she had seen him. He looked older, slight lines on his face, but the black eyes boring down onto her head still filled her with terror. It was in the binder that Russell had showed her. This was the leader of Team Rocket. Giovanni.

A Grunt had logged onto the computer on the desk and typed quietly. He presently looked up. "Boss," he said, "this is the new one."

Giovanni nodded and sauntered forward until he stopped directly in front of Edie. He held his cigarette slightly outwards, as if with one movement he could blot it out in her eye. "Were you attempting to sneak into the back of the building."

She swallowed back her panic and attempt to stop shaking. "No, no, no, I just saw…I just saw the guy in the alley, and…" she craned her neck at the Grunt on the computer. "And I'm not, I'm not with the KDF, I was honestly just saw him and he was—"

He held out his palm to stop her. "You're the one who announced the resurgence of the Kanto Defense Force."

"I…I was just trying to make it through Mt. Moon," she managed to say shakily. "I just thought it'd be…it'd be cool. I'm not part of that group."

He took a drag of the cigarette and exhaled the smoke through his nose. "Interesting explanation."

As much as she fought, tears dotted in her eyes. "I'm telling the truth."

"I have a question for you."

"O-okay…"

"Where are your headquarters."

Her breath caught. "What…?"

"The Kanto Defense Force headquarters. Where are they." His questions did not inflect up at the end— they were as flat as his statements.

She remained silent, staring at the floor.

He tapped under her chin with his cigarette and her head jerked upwards, avoiding the lit end. "It would be wise to answer."

She avoided his stare.

"Did they ever tell you about that boy. Noble. Miguel's brother. It's such a shame what happened to him."

She sniffled.

He stared, unblinking, as he spoke. "Continue to refuse to answer and I will beat you to a bloody pulp. It's nothing to me. You are nothing to me. I will kill you without a thought."

Her lip trembled; a few tears stained her face.

He took his cigarette and, after tapping the ash off of it, leaned forward and blotted it firmly on Edie's forehead. The searing pain boiled her skin and she sobbed, attempting to jerk back from the pain, but the Grunts tightened their grip on her arms and forced her to stand.

Giovanni stepped back and watched her. Her head drooped and her hair curtained her face. "Search the bag," he said to the Grunts, pointing his cigarette to her backpack. They dumped the contents on the desk— the few bills that she had, assorted items, the KDF cell phone. Giovanni spotted the device and picked it up, looking at it with some interest. He held it up to her, mocking her. "Just a cell phone...?"

She stuttered for words, face twisting in horror. "I— I—"

He toyed with the phone before holding it up to his ear, a smile suddenly flashing across his face. "_Grey_ isn't doing so well right now, Russell." A pause. "Direct me to your headquarters and I won't gauge her eyes out." Another pause. "Still. Really. Right under my nose. Fine. Goodbye." He turned off the phone, turning to the Grunts. "Saffron City. Get Archer to do a search." He then seemed to switch his attention, still rooting through the things in her backpack. "Are they really in Saffron City."

He looked back at her and she nodded furiously. He looked away again.

"Are you sure."

"I'm sure, I'm sure. Where are my Pokémon?"

He stepped from around the desk and headed for the door to the office. Edie flinched as he veered by her. He looked back at the Grunts. "Wait."

They waited.

He returned after a moment with an old wooden baseball bat, the grain stained by dried blood.

Edie lost any composure when she saw this; her knees buckled and she slumped on the floor, sobbing. The Grunts stepped back; he brought the bat to her temple and lightly tapped it against her head— one, two, three.

She sniveled as he brought the bat back, farther, farther— he smashed the bat into her ribs and something cracked. She choked, doubling over, and he struck her in the side. Pain ripped through her chest and she fell to the ground, coughing and spitting blood. He hit her again in the shoulder and back and she passed out for a split second before being thrown into consciousness again with the sharp pain of her own breathing. For a split second saw double before Giovanni walked around and pushed her to sit up with his shoe. Tears clouded her vision and her breath rasped in her chest as Giovanni placed the bat on the side of her head once more. She expected a cruel smile but was only treated to his concentrated stare as he brought the weapon back to his shoulder.

She saw the bat rush at her head and it connected and she blacked out.

* * *

A massive sound erupted in her ears and she jerked awake. She gasped, her head pounding with pain, and her eyes darted wildly, her vision doubling and wavering— she was on the floor in a pool of blood. She coughed blood, choking, and stabbing pain shot through her middle.

A huge, crashing explosion shot from the wall behind her; she wormed away from the corner as the walls burst and rubble spilled over her.

A faint voice echoed through Edie's head. "SHE'S HERE, I FOUND HER."

She supported herself on her arm and began to rise, another faint explosion ringing out in another part of the building, when suddenly someone grabbed her from behind, clutching her broken shoulder. She screamed and failed around wildly.

"Edie, it's _me_, come on!"

Her head whipped around, the whites of her eyes showing, and saw the face of Miguel, smudged by soot. "_Wha_…"

"Come on! NOW!" He lifted her to her feet, she remained standing for a split second and collapsed again; he caught her under her shoulder and half dragged her through the rubble.

They stumbled out of the rubble and into the alleyway on the side of the building. They continued one more block before Edie, half-conscious, tugged Miguel's arm and stumbled to a stop.

He shook his head, pulling her on. "We _need_ to get you to a hospital."

She stumbled and he supported her with his arm. "W-wha…what h-happened?"

"The phone had a GPS locator. The others came running."

They continued their walk and far off, dimly, Edie could see the light of the Celadon City Hospital. The air on her raw back felt like it was peeling away whatever was left of her skin and the cigarette burn on her forehead seared. Her quiet tears dissolved into coughing sobs; she dropped her head. A scream echoed behind them.

"Miguel, I fucked up. I don't know what I'm going to do."


	13. Darkness I Become

**Chapter 13**

**Darkness I Become**

**PART TWO: THE TYRANNY OF EVIL MEN**

* * *

A fog hung over Celadon City, and yellow lights dotted the sky. The Pokémon Mansion was at full occupancy, and in one dimly lit window, a girl was talking to her mother on the phone.

"_Mom_," shot Edie. "I told you, I'm _fine_. I'm just sick, it happens to everybody. I'm in a nice hotel, I'm getting better, I have my Pokemon, I have medication, I'm fine. I'll come home once Charles learns how to fly, I promise."

Fredia sighed a long-suffering breath of air. "Okay, I can live with that. I just miss you. I worry about you a lot."

"I miss you too, but I promise I'll be home soon."

"I know, I'm just lonely."

Edie sighed. She attempted to keep her voice level. "I don't know, mom…maybe start dating or something. Hang out with the Prof. next door, I'm sure he's _tons_ of fun."

"Do…do you think I should start dating? Is that normal?"

"I don't know, it's just a suggestion. Dad— _Max_, whatever, left like nine years ago. Maybe you should look at other options. He was a bad person, and things like that just happen." Fredia was silent for a few moments. Edie frowned. "I'm sorry, mom, I'm just saying. Maybe you can adopt a pet Pokemon or something. Join a book club."

Fredia sniffed, seemingly on the verge of tears. "I figure something out. Don't worry about me. Well, I'll let you get your rest, but call me tomorrow, okay?"

"Will do. Bye, mom."

"Love you."

"Love you too. Bye." Edie flipped her phone shut and placed in on her bedside table. She looked across to the open window, the night a haze of city lights and cool air cascading into the room. "I'm going for a run," she said to the window.

Charles looked up from his book as she was walking to the bathroom, shorts and a tee-shirt in hand. "Edie, it's nine o'clock."

"I like running at night." She closed the bathroom door behind her and stared at herself in the mirror.

When Giovanni had swung at her head, he grazed the side and ripped an impressive cut on the right side of her head. When she arrived at the hospital with Miguel, there was no time for deliberation— the doctor grabbed a razor and shaved off the right half of her hair. She was bald on that side and could see all of the bumps her scalp revealed. A clean cut ran the length of her scalp, punctured by stitches.

She changed into athletic clothes, stumbling. Her lean frame had lost some muscle and added a slight padding from being bedridden. The remnants of two months past— half a head of hair, no muscle, a punctured lung, three broken ribs and a broken shoulder. She still wheezed slightly when she breathed. She poked at her ribs before tying her hair back in a weird ponytail. Her hair swept away from her forehead, she could see the yellowed scab forming over the cigarette burn. There would be a scar, most definitely.

Edie chewed at one of her bitten fingernails and stared into her own tired eyes in the bathroom mirror. The image of the old photo of Giovanni flashed in her mind; he would be almost fifty now. She was almost killed by a fifty year old. She recalled all of the violent sports she had ever participated in, the kickboxing and hockey and powderpuff football, sports her mother so readily supported. She was quick and strong and sharp. For all of that, she was still humiliated. It ate at her.

She went back into the room and immediately Charles admonished her. "Edie, please don't go outside. It's dangerous."

"It's fine, Charles." She grabbed her cell phone from the bedside table and pocketed it. "I'm bringing my cell phone."

"But the Rockets—"

"The Rockets are gone, their goddamn casino blew up! I'm probably dead to them!"

Feolan hopped off of the bed, trotting after her. "Well, I'm not about to stay stuck inside this stupid motel. I'm going with you."

"Fine." She paused as she was going out the door, turning to Charles. Her tone softened. "Don't worry. I'll be back soon." She closed the door quietly behind her.

"I needed to get out of that room," she muttered as they stepped from the front door. The night was cool and the Celadon city lights twinkled on skyscrapers. She looked down at Feolan. "I just want to run by the casino."

"Dude, it's fine with me, as long as I don't get killed."

They set off at a run, setting down city streets before Edie made a conscious effort to reach the Game Corner. She weakly remembered where it was; rather, she remembered walking up to it and then exiting it in a bloody haze. As she passed by an intersection she saw a glimpse of rubble under a broken streetlight and backpedaled, looking through the alleyway.

"That's it!" Feolan's ears perked.

They walked through to the Game Corner, now a mass of rubble and half composed walls. Roulette tables stood among the crushed stones, and half of a bar remained standing. Caution tape decorated the area.

Feolan's eyes widened. "God, the KDF really destroyed this place."

"I can't believe this." Edie stalked along the border of rubble, shaking her head. "He beat me with a baseball bat."

"Yeah, he's not exactly the _nicest_ person ever…" Feolan muttered, nosing in the rubble.

She shook her head again, looking up from the rubble and to the other side of the plot of land. Her eyes examined the battered roulette tables when suddenly she glimpsed something black and humanoid among them. She squinted, seeing the white of skin and the black uniform, the white of the skull bandana…_a face_.

Edie and the Grunt locked eyes, both frozen. Some kind of recognition passed through the woman's face; Edie saw a slight frown and a surge of fearful realization. '_She knows who I am'_— shot through her mind, and she was off, racing towards the Grunt blindly. Feolan sprinted at her heels as the Grunt barreled around the street corner, the two catching up to her fast.

They raced down the darkened street, leaving the smoldering ruins in their wake and quick flashes of streetlight moving past them. Up ahead the Grunt suddenly darted into an alley; Edie raced after her.

The woman saw Edie for a split second, one hand on a pocket knife, the other on a walk talky, her high voice screaming rapidly, "—_I FOUND—_"

Edie grabbed the Grunt's head and slammed it into the brick alley wall; the Grunt stumbled back and Edie slammed her head into the wall once more, a patch of dark wet blood splotching on the brick. The Grunt went limp and collapsed on the ground.

Feolan came up behind Edie as she wiped her bloodied, shaking hands on her shirt. "Holy shit! You just—"

Static buzzed through the air and the two looked down to see the walky talky, still crackling with speech. "_Grunt, are you there? I repeat, are you there? Lola, please respond_."

Lola. Edie looked down at the Grunt's face, heart rate slowly returning to a normal pace but hands still shaking. A young face a bit older than her own, a little fuller; fuller lips and cheekbones with a soft blonde pixie cut. Tanned. Through the far-off reaching of plastic surgery and a nice tan, Edie knew she could look like this is she truly wanted to.

Suddenly, her eyes widened and a sharp thought caught in her mind. She knelt down and checked the Grunt's pocket; inside she found a thin wallet with a few dollars and…A Team Rocket ID card.

LOLA PETERSON

RANK: GRUNT

ID# 9830

She put the wallet in her pocket and went back to staring at the body. Feolan glanced at her nervously. "Edie?"

She reached for the walky talky, holding it up to her mouth. She swallowed and pressed the button. "Lola here, sir," she said, voice slightly higher to match that of the Grunt's.

"_Did you find anything_?"

"…Negative, sir. There's nothing to find."

"_Roger. Report back to Silph Co by tomorrow night_."

"Roger that. Thanks."

There was a click on the end of the other line and Edie clicked an off-switch on the walky talky. Feolan stared at her, wide-eyed.

"Wait here." She snapped around to stalk from the ally. "I'll be back in five minutes. Don't move."

"_What_?" She disappeared around the corner. Feolan, ears flat, glanced at the body, still leaking glassy blood. "Oh, man. This is nasty."

Edie returned in exactly five minutes, her arm tucking a box of black trash bags against her chest. She tossed the box onto the ground and ripped a bag from it, flaying it open.

Feolan frowned at her. "What the heck are we doing?"

She looked at him briefly. "I know how to get back at Team Rocket."

He stopped. "Wait, what?"

"You know, Team Rocket?" She paused, searching for the right word. "I guess you could call it revenge…"

"Uhh…" He gave her a skeptical look, taking into account that she had literally just killed someone. "Maybe we should talk to Charles about this first."

"Do you really like Charles would agree with me?"

"No, but right now, you're acting crazy, so let's take 5 and come back to the idea."

"You need to back me up on this plan. Trust me."

"What the hell are we doing, anyway?"

Her face was sharp in the white light of a near streetlight. "We're taking the uniform. We'll put the body in a trashcan."

She looked down at the girl's face again and slowly began to run through a thought. Edie Adler began to plan.

* * *

All of the aftermath will be explained in the next chapter...thanks for reading!


	14. Out of the Frying Pan

**Chapter 14**

**Out of the Frying Pan**

* * *

Charles was currently immersed in a fiction novel, snuggled in an armchair. It wasn't completely comfortable, but it was comfortable enough. As he read, he vaguely became aware of Potato staring at him from across the room. She stared at him, transfixed. He cursed whosever's idea it was to bring her along.

"So…" Charles dog-eared his book. "Want me to turn on the TV?"

She stared at him.

"…okay…" He was about to crack open his book when loud bangs suddenly rattled the room's door. Charles hopped up from his seat. "Who is it?"

"It's Edie and Feolan! _Now open the goddamn door_!"

Charles unlocked the door and stumbled backwards as Edie and Feolan rushed in and slammed the door behind them. Both were splattered with dried blood and Edie clutched a large black trash bag in her hands.

"It's not what it looks like," she said quickly.

Charles gaped in shock. "It looks like you murdered someone!"

Feolan and Edie exchanged glances. "Well…" Feolan said hesitantly, "if it looks like that…then you might be right..."

"YOU MURDERED SOMEONE?" the Charmeleon shrieked, clutching his face in horror. "Oh my God…so, so the body is in the bag?"

Feolan and Edie looked at one another again. "No," Edie said slowly. "It's…her clothes."

Charles stared at them.

"You explain everything to him," Edie said to Feolan, inching her way to the bathroom. "I'm going to go _wash off these clothes bye_." She ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

She slammed her cell phone down on the counter, flecks of blood dried on the screen. She turned the sink faucet on to boiling hot water, tepid water soon filling the plugged sink. Holding her breath she upturned the trash bag into the sink, clogging the water flow with the heavy black uniform. Specks of blood flew from the bag and she crumpled it up hastily, stuffing it in the trashcan. The thick, cloying smell of blood filled the air and Edie fought to keep her breath. Suddenly, it hit her: she had just killed a woman with her bare hands. Somehow, the feeling was less overwhelming than she had expected. She figured it would hit her at some point.

The sink water turned a pale red. She poked at the uniform, more red blooming in the water, before tossing a bar of soap into the concoction as well. Her process was interrupted by a banging on the door.

"Edie, let me in! _What is going on_?"

She opened the door to face a livid Charles, staring up at her in shock. He bustled past her and she closed the door behind him; he gaped at the bloodied uniform resting in the sink.

"Edie. What the hell is this?"

She swallowed. "Feolan and me ran past the Game Corner. We just wanted to check it out, and we saw a Grunt staring at us. We chased her into an alley and…I killed her. I had to! She had a communicator and was probably about to tell them I was alive!"

He looked to the uniform and then to Edie again. "And then you two striped her and left her naked body in a trashcan. Edie, I'm starting to think you're a psychopath."

She closed her eyes, sighing. "No. No, that's not it, I can explain." She shakily pulled Lola's ID from her pocket, handing it to Charles.

He took it from her, reading it, and then looked back up at her. "You have her ID."

"…She looks a lot like me."

He stared at her, instantly knowing what she was getting at. It was a blank, decimated stare.

Words suddenly burst from her like a flood. "We can walk right into Silph. Blend in. Work up the ranks. Then we get an opportunity to kill him and we go for it. It'll work. It's perfect."

"Edie, are you serious?" He threw the card down. "Is this some kind of sick joke? Wanting to engage in this madness again?"

"I have to," she shot back. She scratched her shaved head. "I can do it. I know what they are now. I'm not a little girl."

"You almost died. Giovanni beat you with a baseball bat within an inch of your life." He sighed. "I'm just glad I wasn't there to see it. Thrown out back."

"I need to get back at him. Charles, I realized that we need to do something. They're too evil to—"

"_We're talking about a massive criminal corporation_!"

She threw her hands out. "You said it yourself— the path of the, the good man, is— is _whatever_; you said something about fighting for good and that's what I'm trying to do!"

"That's not even the right quote! And furthermore, we are not righteous men! We're three Pokémon and a teenage girl!"

"But—"

"It's just a quote, Edie! It's not real! It can't always be that way!" He sighed and covered his face in his claws. "I'm sorry. We're not superheroes. And, frankly, I don't even think that's the reason you want to do whatever it is you want to do."

She cocked her head at him, challenging.

"I think you're feeling sorry for yourself. You're bitter. You're a very bitter person in general."

She was about to respond, to snap at him, to tell him it wasn't true when she knew it was, but Feolan nosed his way through the door. "Uh…everything okay?"

Charles whipped around to face him. "I can't believe you two _murdered_ someone!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Feolan stumbled back from Charles's glare. "First of all, she did the murdering. Second of all, that Grunt went at us first. Not our faults."

Edie flashed her gaze to Feolan. "He doesn't like my plan," she muttered.

He shrugged at her. "I mean, I thought it sounded balls-to-the-walls crazy, so it's not like I was optimistic or anything. No offense."

She rolled her eyes and went back to washing the uniform.

Charles touched her arm. "I'm sorry, Edie, but we'll die."

A sudden ring cut through the air. The three of them leapt at the sound and Edie grabbed the phone from the counter, answering it. "Hello?"

"Howdy, Grey!" It was Russell. His voice had a mask of cheer, but his attempt was slightly pathetic. She sensed the hesitance below his voice.

"Hi, Russell."

He didn't even correct her on codenames. "How are you holding up?"

"Fine."

"What have you been up to?"

"Oh, the usual. Sitting around. Watching crappy movies. Eating bad Chinese food. I'm not allowed to scratch my own head. Stitches. Apparently they dissolve by themselves. I think that's pretty cool."

He hesitated slightly, not knowing how to react. "Are there any more medical expenses? Hotel expenses?"

"Nope, all paid off. Tell Marylyn I said, 'thanks'. I'm good to go."

There was a lull in the conversation, and then:

He sighed. "Edie, I'm sorry. Again."

During her recovery, Russell had become a champion of apologizing for what had happened. She could tell that he felt that it was his fault, and in that first week when she was confined to the hospital he spent the most time with her out of all the KDF members. He prided himself as her segregate parent, as "father" was still on a business trip and "mother" was bonkers, stuck in a mental institution.

She tried not to look at the blood-filled sink. "Russell, it's okay, you didn't know, no one knew…but you got there in time."

"Not soon enough."

"Well, if Miguel hadn't coded that location tapping thing into the phone, I'd be dead. He said I should keep the phone, and he was right."

He sighed again, pausing, before changing the topic. "Edie, it's time you got home. You should've gone home a week ago, but with the medical stuff it was tough. You need to go back with your parents."

Charles, overhearing this, gave her a knowing look. Her heart sunk. "Home?"

"Yes, home. Tell your dad to come back. I'm sure he'll understand. Get back into your schooling. Forgot about all of this."

"Drop everything?" She stammered for words, unsure. "I mean, I don't—"

"Edie, you don't know how absolutely terrifying it was to answer a call from you and hear Giovanni's voice on the other end. My first thought was that you were dead, and God knows I wouldn't be able to live with that guilt. This entire situation is absolutely crazy— it was always crazy, but now with us losing ground and you in the situation…things are not looking good."

She paused. "What do you mean?"

He sighed, sounding tired. "I mean that there's not much we can do anymore. I mean that I'm a terrible leader. The KDF has crumbled under my leadership. People have been dying for years for this cause, and now it's only three people left."

"It's not— I mean, it can get better."

"We're losing hope. Kanto is going down the tubes and I don't think we can stop it. There's not much we can do anymore. Team Rocket has too much manpower."

Panic began to crawl in her voice. "No, Russell, sure there is. I'm sure there's something."

"I really don't think so, Edie. I think we've failed this one. We almost let you die and now that we're active again Team Rocket will be looking out for us. I don't foresee this ending well." He paused. "Just make sure you get back home. Really. You need to go home. In fact, get out of the region. There's no hope for Kanto anymore."

The tone in his voice scared her. It sounded absolutely defeated. She tried to brighten her voice. "O-okay. But I'll keep in touch, you bet!"

The line went dead.

The three were silent for a few moments as Edie placed the phone back on the counter.

"Oh, God," Charles said, looking at the phone in horror. "He sounded like hell."

Edie pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut. "He's the only thing stopping Team Rocket. And he's hopeless."

"But that means Kanto…Kanto might…"

Feolan cut in. "Team Rocket takes over Kanto. We run away to Jhoto. They take over Jhoto. We run to Hoenn. And so on." Feolan flattened his ears back against his head. "We're screwed."

Charles looked at Edie as if looking for some kind of comfort. She shrugged hopelessly.

When that was her only response, he picked up Lola's ID from the floor and stared at it. He studied the picture of Lola, and then peered at Edie from over the card.

"First," he said, "you're going to need a makeover."

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed this chapter! These next few chapters are my absolute favorite, so I hope you enjoy the next group of chapters._


	15. Lola

**Chapter 15**

**Lola**

Edie didn't really remember living in Saffron City. She was one of those people who loved to claim hometown pride, but never actually got the chance to experience the hometown. She planned to continue to lie to people whenever they asked, regardless.

So, as she crossed through the gates of Saffron city and pulled back the hood of her sweatshirt to gaze at the towering buildings, she knew nothing. The streets were emptier then Celadon, scattered with people who still lived in Saffron City and couldn't afford to move out. She pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt again, realizing that a majority of the people could be working for Team Rocket. She swallowed, looking at the address she had written on her palm. _Relax. Breathe_.

She glimpsed the building she was looking for; a brownstone, nostalgic piece of architecture, the name lit up in bright white bulbs on the front of the building: HOBOTSON'S DEPARTMENT STORE.

Back in the hotel, she had gazed at Lola's photo and wondered how she would become her. She remembered Marylyn mentioning the best department store in all of Kanto— Hobotson's. Surely they could work their magic on her.

As they walked to the department store, Feolan shot Edie a skeptical look. "So how are we paying for this? Selling our souls? Prostitution?"

She frowned at him, ignoring his question. Marylyn's credit card burned a hole in her pocket. She just hoped that the woman didn't check her balance too often.

They swept through the revolving doors of the store, the gray Saffron sky falling away to the massive white lights on the walls and ceiling. The cracked sidewalk swept away into flawless marble floors, and the paint on the walls glowed a soft pink. They entered through the make-up department; glass fixtures displaying colorful compacts and beautiful saleswomen at every counter. The air was a mix of perfumes, a scent that would've been terrible anywhere else but here.

Edie walked in a daze, staring at each perfume bottle and lipstick tube as she passed them. Feolan gagged.

"Can I help you?"

Edie snapped from her trance to see a slim, pretty saleswoman smiling at her from a counter. She hurried over to her, pulling her list from her backpack. "Um, yes, I want to get a makeover, please. Here's everything that I want."

The saleswoman eyed the list, her face lighting up when she realized how extensive the list was. "Sure. Just wait here for a second. I'll be right back with your stylist!"

Once she left, Edie gaped at the Pokémon in amazement. "Wow, this city has gone crazy."

"What?" Charles asked.

"They didn't even ask me for my age about the fillers."

"_What_?" Charles shrieked, clutching his head. "You're getting _plastic surgery_?"

Several people turned at his shriek.

"_Shh_!" She hunched her shoulders. "I'm just getting them in my cheeks, just right here!" She felt at her prominent cheekbones. "Just so my face looks different!"

Charles sighed. "Edie, maybe we should—"

Suddenly, an obnoxious and very familiar voice filled the air. "_Welllll,_ what do we have here? Do my eyes deceive me?"

Edie turned to see the infamous Brendan Birch sauntering up to her, smirking, his impressive girth tucked into a green pea coat. Her eyes widened in horror and she grappled for words. "B-brendan, what— what the hell are you doing here?"

"Edie, please. I'm gay, I am contractually obligated to be fashionable."

She stared at him.

"That was a joke. The real question is…why are you here? You don't strike me as the frou-frou type, even if you'd like to be." He squinted at her hooded head, reaching up to touch her half-shaved scalp. "What ha—"

She slapped his hand away. "Fuck off!"

He grinned and he put a hand on her arm. "Edie, that was another joke. I don't care if you shave off half your head. There's no need for explanations. I happened to overhear your conversation with the saleswoman and your Pokemon. Now don't ruin that perfectly average face with plastic surgery."

She shrugged away from him, her mood suddenly darkening. "Brendan," she said, voice dead quiet. "Leave. _Now_. I'm serious."

"I don't think so. I've _got_ to see the result. But…what's your mother going to think?"

"If you tell her—"

He patted her face. "Joking. I don't get my kicks by tattling on people; I get my kicks telling people they write shitty fanfiction."

"Please leave."

"Oh, I'll let you be for now." He sauntered away. "I'll be back, though…"

Edie barely had time to compose herself and think of a way to evade Brendan post-makeover before another saleswoman appeared, grinning. "So, are you ready?"

Edie blinked at her. "What?"

"Your makeover! We're ready for you!"

She suddenly snapped back into reality. She managed to smile and nod at the woman before catching her own reflection in a nearby mirror. She searched her small pale thin face, her large eyes, the bruised shadows around them, and the disheveled, mousy quality of her long and unkempt hair.

They were ready for her— but she didn't know if she was so ready for them.

* * *

"Done!"

Edie blinked sleepily, frowning. The saleswoman propped her chair up in front of a massive mirror. For a moment, Edie thought that she was looking into the wrong mirror.

The girl who looked back at her was a tan hipster, sporting bright lip gloss and a weird blond fauxhawk. She had to admit; they did a good job for what little hair she had left. She blinked, the colored contacts grainy against her eyes. Her eyelashes were heavier— mascara? Edie half expected the reflection to be slightly off-sync, yet there they both were, one and the same.

The saleswoman popped up in the reflection. "_Well_…?"

Edie spun her chair to face her. "This is amazing. I want all of the makeup that you used on me."

"Of course! I'll get the products for you and then we can head over to—"

"OH MY _GOD_!"

Edie jumped at the shrill, manic voice and turned to the source. A figure cascaded down the main stairway of Hobotson's. The figure was a tall, statuesque woman with a tight bun of dark red hair and a well-fitted black suit and skirt. Her face was all high cheekbones, a pair of sleek thickly framed glasses, expertly done make-up, and slight hints of plastic surgery. She was thin but not overtly so— a beautiful women in her 40s who looked years younger.

"You…are…FABULOUS!" The woman giddily hobbled over to Edie on her stiletto heels and then subjected her to some sort of facial observance, patting her cheeks, lifting her chin. "The hair! The make-up! The facial structure!" She looked down at Edie's bony frame, glasses slipping on her nose. "And you're so thin! Do you model?"

"Uh," Edie said.

The woman did not register her statement. "I used to model, you know. I was on all the runways." Her head snapped to the saleswoman. "Did you work on her?"

She nodded, looking slightly intimidated.

"Good. Get my PR people in contact with her." She turned back to Edie and patted her face again. "Such a little darling! You remind me of when I was young. _Ciao_!" And suddenly the woman was off again, swiftly disappearing into the sea of customers. Edie, the saleswoman and the Pokémon stood in silence for a bit.

"Wow," the saleswoman finally remarked, her smile returning. "What a treat!"

"Who was that?"

"You just met Ms. Hobotson herself. Ariana Hobotson, founder and CEO of this place." She paused. "She clearly wants you to get involved in the company. Can I set you up with a modeling job?"

"Uh," Edie said again. She attempted to get into character. "I would _totally_ love to, but I seriously have some other…projects…right now. Sorry…"

"No problem. Kind of don't blame you. Let me get you to checkout."

Marylyn's credit card went through without trouble— no ID needed. The tiniest bit of stress retreated from Edie's mind, and as she eyed the foyer of the store in search of Brendan, her anxiety quieted slightly. The obnoxious prick was nowhere to be found. Maybe this would work out.

Once Hobotson's was out of sight, Edie led the group away from the store. She turned sharply on to a road closer to Silph Co, blending into the crowd. As they approached the massive building, the amount of people on the sidewalks lessened. People loitered on street corners, eyeing passerbys. Her stomach dropped, trying to avoid the watchers. She watched a crowd on the other side of the street and thought she caught a glimpse of a uniformed Grunt.

"I just need somewhere to change my clothes," she murmured to the Pokémon. "Close enough to Silph." They paused at a short alley, Edie peeking inside to make sure no criminals were lurking. It was empty.

Feolan flattened his ears. "Looks super safe."

"It's just for, like, two seconds." She disappeared behind a dumpster. "Feolan, Charles, Kyoshi; keep watch."

She quickly changed into the Grunt uniform— thick fitted black pants, a white undershirt and black pullover with a red R insignia. The black boots, caked with dirt, were a little tight but fit as well as she could hope. As she was tying the black bandana around her nose and mouth she heard Charles weakly call out to her.

"Um, Edie! Um, um, intruder!"

"_Shit_." She rounded the trashcan, prepared to fight, and stopped. Her eyes widened and she tore the bandana from her face. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Brendan stared at her, wide-eyed and pale. "Why…why are you in a Team Rocket uniform?"

"Why did you follow me?"

"You've turned to the dark side! I'm telling your mother!" He turned to flee; she grabbed him by the back of his collar and slammed him against a wall. He screamed.

"Shut up." His scream turned to a whimper. She pinned him against the wall with a hold on the front of his collar. "This isn't what it looks like. Tell my mom and I _will_ kill you. Don't underestimate me."

"You're in their uniform!"

She sighed, shaking her head. "Shit, Brendan, why do you have to get up in all of my business?"

"I wasn't expecting this!"

"So that makes it okay for you to follow me? Oh, okay."

His voice quieted. "You don't have to be a part of Team Rocket to fit into something, Edie."

She frowned. "I told you, this isn't what it looks like."

"Then what is it?"

"Look. You leave now and you don't tell my mom about this, and we're cool. You won't have to worry about your personal safety anytime soon. We can all go on with our lives. Clear?"

He looked at her and then sighed. "Fine."

"Swear?"

"I swear."

She let his collar go and watched as he scuttled out of the alley and back onto the sidewalk, disappearing behind a corner. She exhaled deeply, resting her forehead on the wall. "Oh my God."

"Do you think he's going rat us out?" Feolan asked nervously.

"I don't think so. He's not the type." She removed her head from the wall, double checking the small purse she brought along with her. Her backpack along with her KDF phone was in the hotel, tucked away in her room. Her last message to the KDF was: _Phone acting up. Don't freak if I don't get your calls_. _At home_.

Another lie. Her life was a lie.

"Well, let's boogie." She fixed the handkerchief around her mouth and emerged onto the sidewalk. She expected to be harassed, vilified, but as she walked closer to Silph, walkers moved out of her path like water, averting their eyes, heads down. She spotted another Grunt. Same thing. Thorns of anger struck her heart.

Soon they closed in on the massive building, seemingly miles high, sleek and shining chrome in the light. Huge, white-frosted windows composed the face of the building, and the vast name that marked her father's paycheck for so many years— SILPH CORPORATION— built in shining metal letters across the front. There were no Grunts around the area and the main doors were unguarded, although there was a card slot directly next to the doors.

She fit the card into the card slot and her heart jumped when a green light flickered next to the card slot. She breathed out before striding inside. _Look like you know what you're doing_. The lobby looked exactly the same as she had seen in her old childhood history books— sleek, white, steel, modern— except occupied by Team Rocket Grunts guarding all doorways. Raticates sat at most of their sides. She didn't want to think what would happen if she was caught.

Her attention snapped to a commotion in front of her. Two Grunts were subduing a short, pudgy young man. They had strong grasps on his arms and he was whimpering pathetically. At one point he threw his head back and their eyes met. He froze; she froze. Both their eyes widened in shock. She fought not to gasp in horror.

It was Brendan.

Again.

Brendan opened his mouth to say something but Edie's death glare silenced him. However, one of the Grunts noticed the connection and looked at her sharply. "You know him?"

Her thoughts froze, and then suddenly something snapped into her mind. She feigned a girlish laugh, her desperation making it slightly shrill. "Oh my gosh, _there_ he is!" She approached them, sighing with relief. "I'm _so_ sorry, guys. He's my boyfriend. He's a _little_ tripped out right now so…" she shrugged. "He might be a little weird. Thanks _so_ much for finding him."

The Grunts exchanged looks. The first one looked to her again. "I.D?"

"Sure." She held up the card. "And your boyfriend's a Grunt too? He has I.D?"

Edie swallowed. "Well…_no_…he's not a Grunt _yet_, but he's wanted to join for a _really, really_ long time and he'd be really good at it."

The two Grunts exchanged glances.

"I just don't want to have him stumbling around Saffron City alone, that's all," she managed.

The Grunts began talking. Her palms began to sweat. Finally, one sighed at her. "Look, we're going to have to do a background check on this guy if we're going to let him in…"

She swallowed. The situation was spiraling out of control. "Oh, um, okay, but, but first let him sober up, would you? I don't want my poor Pooh Bear scared…"

The Grunt opened his mouth to say something, but a shrill voice interrupted whatever thought he had.

"_IT'S MY MODEL_!"

Everyone turned to the voice. Edie almost gaped as she saw the feminine figure emerge from the stairs at the far side of the room.

It was Ariana Hobotson.

Again.

The woman clacked across the room and grabbed Edie's face in her perfectly manicured hands. She froze. Ariana laughed. "I am _so_ glad to see you! I had no idea you were in Team Rocket, silly me, I just don't get the time to know all of the Grunts! Oh, look at you!" She finally let Edie's face go, realizing that Edie and Brendan were flanked by Grunts. She narrowed her eyes at the guards. "Is something wrong?"

Both Grunts looked uncomfortable. One nudged the other and the scapegoat finally spoke up. "She wanted to bring an unknown male into the facility, m'am."

"He's my new boyfriend," Edie added quickly. "He's a little tipsy so I didn't want to leave him out in the cold." She stuck out her lower lip in a pout. "Besides, he's wanted to join Team Rocket for awhile now, so I just thought…"

"Oh, of course, sweetie! A good man is hard to find! Now, come on you two." She giggled and took Edie's hand, leading her away from the main door and across the room to a sleek chrome elevator. The Grunts dropped Brendan and he scurried after Edie, grabbing her empty hand in his own sweaty one.

Ariana turned to Brendan and Edie. "Now, I know you, Lola, but what's your boyfriend's name?"

"Brendan."

"Dwight."

Brendan whimpered when he realized he shouldn't haven given his real name. Edie rolled her eyes and whispered to Ariana, "It's Dwight."

Ariana laughed again and nodded. "Oh, men!"

The elevator doors opened with a soft ping and as they entered the elevator, Ariana continued with her dialogue. "I'll let you two off on the 5th floor. Lola can show you around, Dwight. And then you and me, Lola," she smiled at Edie, "we should go shopping some time!"

Edie returned this invitation with a fake smile. "Definitely."

"Anytime, just ring me on the phone. Or, I'll just ring you! I have all the time in the world! Giovanni is so busy all of the time, it's just such a problem! It's just hard to spend time with him anymore!"

Edie, as casually as possible, dragged her gaze to Ariana's left hand. A sizeable diamond ring sparkled. Her fake smile widened into a real one.

Perfect.


End file.
